WASHINGTON -- Timing is everything in the arts of war or politics, according to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s Nov. 13 speech on the need for immigration reform.
“Now, while everyone may agree that the status quo isn’t working, what everyone may not be aware of is how much the immigration landscape has changed since comprehensive immigration reform efforts failed in 2007,” Napolitano said. “I’ve been dealing hands-on with immigration issues since 1993, so trust me. I know a major shift when I see one, and what I have seen makes reform far more attainable this time around.”
Napolitano’s speech at the Center for American Progress (CAP), rather than a rhetorical tour de force, was a finely calibrated recitation of the Obama administration’s wish list and rationale for the ingredients of a comprehensive immigration reform package it hopes will move through Congress in 2010. In its broadest and simplest terms, she described a “‘three-legged stool’ that includes a commitment to serious and effective enforcement, improved legal flows for families and workers, and a firm but fair way to deal with those already here.”
On the latter point, how to resolve the legal status and residency issues for an estimated 12 million people living in the United States illegally, Napolitano never mentioned the word “amnesty” in her speech or during the brief question and answer period for a standing-room-only audience.
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