White House Calls Draft Immigration Plan a Backup

Republicans and Democrats alike on Sunday predicted President Barack Obama would fail if he pushed forward with his own effort to overhaul the nation’s immigration system and urged the administration to hold off while lawmakers work on a bipartisan measure.

Republican Sen. John McCain predicted the administration’s efforts would come up short if the White House went forward with a proposal to put the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. on a long pathway to citizenship. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, who met with Obama on Wednesday at the White House, urged his allies in the administration to give a bipartisan group of eight lawmakers time to hammer out a deal.

Obama’s newly appointed top aide, chief of staff Denis McDonough, said the White House would only send its plan to Congress if the lawmakers stumble in their efforts and cast its efforts as a backup plan.

“We will be prepared with our own plan if these ongoing talks between Republicans and Democrats up on Capitol Hill break down,” McDonough said in an interview.

The administration’s proposal would create a visa for those in the country illegally and allow them to become legal permanent residents within eight years. The proposal also requires businesses to know the immigration status of their workers and adds more funding for border security.

It drew immediate criticism from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). “The president’s bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system,” said Rubio, one of the eight lawmakers.

This article appeared in print on page 2 of the February 18th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.