CaribWorldNews, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. April 13, 2009: Top immigration advocacy groups are praising President Barack Obama, who seems set to deliver on his campaign promise of immigration reform.

White House officials were quoted in New York Times reports as saying Thursday that the President plans to begin addressing the country’s immigration system this year, including the controversial issue of earned legalization for undocumented immigrant.

It is expected the President will begin discussing possible legislation as early as this fall. Obama will present his drive as `policy reform that controls immigration and makes it an orderly system,` the Times quoted Cecilia Munoz, deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs in the White House, as saying.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association commended Obama with Charles H. Kuck, its president stating, `The administration gets it; immigration is intrinsically tied to the economy. `Rising unemployment is a serious and frightening crisis that we all share. Policies require looking ahead, for our short-term economic recovery, and for the nation\'s long-term economic stability and growth. We must meet the challenge to reform our immigration system now, with sensible, practical solutions. Fixing our immigration system is a critical component of fixing our economy. This courageous stance will prove to be the right remedy for what ails the country right now.`

In his run for the White House, Obama promised immigrants comprehensive reform that includes a path to legalization for the estimated 12 million immigrants living undocumented in the U.S.

The National Immigration Forum, a D.C-based organization, also praised the President. `We praise the President and his team for getting the ball rolling,` said the group in a statement. `Let’s be clear, we will not deport or expel 12,000,000 immigrants who are here illegally, so we need to do something to get them in the system, weed out the criminal element, and make sure we know who is here and who is coming to this country and why.  The deportation approach is a delusion and we cannot wait for something that will never happen.  The President understands this reality and is showing the way forward.`

The National Council of La Raza, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Also welcomed the report.

`The message from the 2008 election is that this nation wants leaders who will solve tough problems. President Obama pledged that he would address the issue of immigration during his first year of office, and we are pleased by this signal that he intends to make good on his promise,` said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. `It is clear that the path to a strong economic recovery includes strategies that lift wages, increase revenue, and create a level playing field—and immigration reform is a crucial element of that equation.`
 
Opponents, mainly Republicans, however, are already saying any effort to legalize the undocumented while so many Americans are out of jobs will be met with opposition.

Last month at a town hall meeting in California, Obama insisted that long-time residents who lack legal status `have to have some mechanism over time to get out of the shadows.`

The Obama disclosure comes on the heels of a bus tour by Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, who has been on the road since last December drumming up support for the issue.

And it comes on the heels of last month’s introduction of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act or DREAM Act by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lincoln Díaz-Balart (R-FL) and several other Republican and Democratic Representatives.

The bill is another bipartisan effort to help the children of the undocumented who cannot attend college or work because of their status. - BY CWNN Staffer