Obama plans renewed push for immigration reform

[The Northerner]

In a visit to Texas this week, President Obama will argue that his administration has laid the groundwork necessary for implementing far-reaching immigration reform - and make a renewed plea for bipartisan support in moving forward with the issue.

The president, who campaigned in 2008 on the promise that "we will have in the first year an immigration bill that I strongly support," has so far failed to produce results on that pledge. But in recent months, Mr. Obama has called for a revived discussion on immigration reform, meeting both publicly and privately with celebrities, community leaders and stakeholders to discuss how to garner outside support for the issue, and entreating members of Congress to pass legislation addressing it.

In El Paso on Tuesday, Mr. Obama will address the issue in a speech, and will likely argue that, given the increased security on the U.S.-Mexican border, the U.S. now has the chance - and obligation - to address a problem that U.S. politicians have long struggled to resolve.

Mr. Obama has long voiced his support for comprehensive immigration reform, but Congress' inability last year to pass the DREAM Act - a bill that aimed to provide upstanding young undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship - has led some to question his seriousness on the issue.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20061104-503544.html