From The Heritage Foundation:

Today, President Barack Obama gave a major speech on immigration reform at the American University in Washington, D.C. He emphasized that it was time for the United States to “squarely confront our challenges” when it comes to the country’s broken immigration system.  Indeed, fixing the immigration problem is appropriate because the country is facing a serious illegal immigration problem — however, the answer of how to fix it is where President Obama deviates from common sense.

It is clear that at the heart of the Administration’s immigration reform agenda will be an amnesty for those illegal immigrants inside of the United States. However, the country did an amnesty in 1986 — and what it did waspush the illegal immigration problem on to another generation. Now in 2010, the population has increased to 10 to 11 million.  It’s clear that such a move only encourages more illegal immigration, and doesn’t get to the root of the illegal immigration problem. Yet, Obama not only used his speech to push for a mass amnesty; he also pushed for the Dream Act, which would grant an amnesty to individuals inside the United States who came here before the age of 16.

Any kind of amnesty — whether the Dream Act or a mass earned legalization — would have the same results of encouraging more people to come to the United States illegally.

President Obama’s focus on improving border security and enforcement as part of an amnesty package glosses over the fact that in 1986, aggressive enforcement was also linked to amnesty.  However, politicians were too weak to enforce the law, and the problem got even worse.  There is nothing to indicate that the results would be any different in 2010, as the Obama Administration has rolled back several effective enforcement efforts including random workplace enforcement raids.

The right answer is to secure the border while instituting a strong enforcement system that will discourage illegal immigration, while at the same time making legal avenues of immigration more efficient and better able to serve the needs of the economy. These steps, coupled with efforts to work with Mexico to reform its own economy and fight the drug cartels are good first steps for ensuring that the system works for all Americans.

More from Right Wing News:

The Republicans Should Call Obama’s Bluff On Illegal Immigration

Today, Barack Obama gave a speech on immigration that was solelymotivated by politics . Keep in mind that even the Democrats admit that they don’t have the votes in the House or the Senate to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. So, what is Obama saying?

Seeking to inject urgency into the push for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, President Obama on Thursday called on Republicans to join the effort, telling them he can’t pass a bill without them.

After pushing through an economic stimulus bill and health care with barely any Republican support in the first 16 months of his administration, the president said this issue is too dangerous to tackle — for Democrats and the GOP — without having both parties involved.

“I’m ready to move forward, the majority of Democrats are ready to move forward, and I believe the majority of Americans are ready to move forward. But the fact is without bipartisan support, as we had just a few years ago, we cannot solve this problem,” Mr. Obama told about 250 immigration-rights advocates in a speech at American University in Washington.

The Republicans should call Barack Obama’s bluff. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell should each pledge to deliver most of the votes from their caucus on immigration — as long as it’s for a security only bill. Let’s finish up the fence. Let’s add more border patrol agents. Let’s crack down on crooked businesses that are knowingly hiring illegals. Let’s increase interior enforcement. Let’s crack down on people who overstay their visas. Let’s seal the border in Arizona. Heck, while we’re at it, let’s even try to fix the ridiculous wait times, red tape, and bureaucracy that makes life so hard on all the good people who follow our laws and try to come here the right way.

Republicans say they want all those things to happen. Democrats claim to want all those things to happen. The overwhelming majority of Americans want all those things to happen — so let’s make it happen. What’s the hold-up?

Didn’t the Obama administration deny, “Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl’s claim that President Barack Obama told him privately that he would not work to secure the border unless it was part of a comprehensive immigration reform package”?

Fan-tastic! Let’s give the Obama Administration an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is. Moreover, haven’t the Democrats been claiming that the Republicans won’t work with them? Well, let’s work together on some much needed, common sense legislation, that would be wildly popular with the American people.

So, what do you say, Dems? How about a security first bill?

More from HumanEvents.com:

Obama gave what was supposed to be a major speech today on immigration, but the most surprising thing he said was a line praising George W. Bush – sadly for conservatives, the praise was for Bush’s previous efforts on amnesty.

Obama covered a range of topics he thinks should be included in immigration reform and wrapped it up with a good partisan line about how he, the majority of Democrats, and the majority of Americans are ready to move forward on the immigration issue (apparently forgetting the federal government is already the caboose in this situation).

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) had a response to that in a statement released this afternoon, “President Obama promised the American people that he would make immigration reform a priority during his first year in office. Eighteen months into his presidency, he continues to deliver words, but no action.”

In his speech, Obama said there are more boots on the ground on the southwest border than ever before and that those who are currently here illegally need to get right with the law – register, pay fines, pay taxes, learn English – before standing in line for citizenship. So, in other words, it sounds like “tough amnesty” talk – if that’s not an oxymoron. He also criticized Arizona’s immigration law.

Meanwhile, Arizona governor Jan Brewer’s job approval rating is blowing Obama’s out of the water. Fifty-eight percent of voters in the state approve of the job she’s doing, according to a Rasmussen poll released today – up from 41 percent approval vs. 55 percent disapproval in March. Her current disapproval number has dropped to 40 percent.

As for Obama, however, 44 percent of voters somewhat approve of the president’s performance, but 55 percent disapprove – similar to Brewer’s numbers in March.

Guess what happened between the improvement in Brewer’s numbers? She signed the immigration law, which polled incredibly well across the United States. Should Obama take a hint?

Related posts:

1. Sen. Kyl: ‘Obama Says No Border Security without Amnesty’
2. Obama’s Immigration Hypocrisy
3. GOP blasts Obama over ‘amnesty’ plan
4. Only 29 Percent of Americans Approve of Obama’s Handling of Immigration, Says Gallup
5. The Obama Administration’s Version of Immigration Reform
6. Next cramdown on taxpayers? It’s amnesty and it’s ba-a-ck!
7. Virginia Attorney General Rules Police Can Check Immigration Status
8. Pampering Illegals, Endangering Americans: The Obama Administration’s Immigration Policy
9. Nearly Half of United States Considering Arizona-Style Immigration Legislation
10. Obama Could Face Impeachment If He Pardons Illegals