At Mexico summit, Obama says immigration reform will have to wait

Peter Nicholas and Tracy Wilkinson Los Angeles Times 08/11/2009 02:40

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and President Obama in Guadalajara.

Guadalajara, Mexico -- Locked in a healthcare debate that is claiming much of his energy, President Obama acknowledged that a push to overhaul the nation's immigration system will have to wait until 2010 and even then will prove a major political test.

Obama suggested it would be too ambitious to aim for passage of new immigration laws before the end of the year, at a time when he will be confronting "a pretty big stack of bills."

Speaking at the end of a two-day summit meeting of fellow North American leaders, Obama said, "Now, I've got a lot on my plate, and it's very important for us to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don't all just crash at the same time."

The summit provided a brief forum for addressing lingering grievances among the trio of North American countries. Mexico is upset that the U.S. won't allow truckers to move cargo within American borders, while Canada is unhappy about "Buy American" provisions written into the $787-billion stimulus bill passed into law in February. Obama sought to placate his counterparts on both points. But other issues were also raised, including the coup in Honduras and the human rights record in Mexico.

Obama said he won't ignore immigration. His administration is meeting with lawmakers and coming up with a bill that would enjoy bipartisan support, so that "when we come back next year . . . we should be in a position to start acting."

Read more...

Add your comment Send Print Report