Immigration News & Opinion
Sat - May 19, 2012

HuffingtonPost, January 23. OPINION. While President Obama's State of the Union address did not focus on immigration, his few statements on that issue sent out conflicting signals. The president pushed for a comprehensive immigration reform plan that includes letting foreign businessmen and entrepreneurs immigrate to the U.S.
It's a great idea, but it's hard to take Obama's commitment to it seriously, since in the same speech he touted his increased enforcement policies -- record deportations up by over 400 percent since 1996, workplace raids, stricter work permit rules, and the deputizing of thousands of local police departments as immigration agents. If the president is serious about immigration reform, he should be looking for ways to end the failed policies of the past, rather than double up on their increasingly draconian enforcement. And it is especially crucial he do so now. If the president truly wants more business growth and opportunities for Americans, he needs to turn his words into action. Business start-ups have decreased 23 percent over the last five years. We could quickly turn that around by removing immigration barriers for entrepreneurs.