Prodded by his Mexican counterpart’s anger over Arizona’s new immigration law, President Obama called it potentially discriminatory but said “I need some help” passing comprehensive immigration reform.
Obama welcomed Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House for a state dinner preceded by meetings on the border drug war, trade and economic issues and immigration.
“I think the Arizona law has the potential of being applied in a discriminatory fashion,” Obama said during a brief joint appearance in the Rose Garden. “The judgments that are going to be made in applying this law are troublesome.”
The Justice Department is reviewing a new law passed in Arizona requiring police to verify the immigration status of anyone they detain on other charges and suspect may be in the country illegally. The law also requires immigrants to carry documents proving their legal status.
Obama said he expects a final report soon, followed by a decision on whether the federal government will try to block the law.
At the same time, Obama said “the political challenge” of passing a national policy on immigration remains significant.
“I have confidence I can get a majority of Democrats in both the House and Senate to support legislation,” Obama said. “I don’t have 60 votes in the Senate, I have got to have some support from Republicans.”
Republican leaders have staunchly opposed taking up immigration in an election year, and Obama has retreated to a fallback position of calling for immigration reform while doing little to make it happen.
Calderon has been outspoken in his opposition to Arizona’s law, criticizing efforts to “criminalize migration” and calling the law anti-Mexican.
“In Mexico, we are and will continue being respectful of the internal policies of the United States,” Calderon said. “But we will retain our firm rejection to criminalize migration so that people that work and provide things to this nation will be treated as criminals.”
He is urging Obama to show leadership in pushing reform modeled after the initiative that failed during the Bush administration — one that emphasizes border enforcement and a pathway to citizenship for those who entered the country illegally.
The Arizona law “has been universally repudiated in Mexico,” said Peter DeShazo, an expert on Latin America at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
While serious consideration of immigration reform is highly unlikely before November, “Obama’s call for its consideration has been well-received in Mexico and creates a more favorable environment for the Calderon visit,” DeShazo said.
The issue is one of several tension points in the relationship between the two countries. Obama also faces pressure from Calderon and border state governors to do more to address the drug war centered around Ciudad Juarez.
More than 6,000 people have been killed in the drug wars since 2006, according to the Mexican government.
The United States previously committed $1.3 billion to the Merida Initiative, a three-year program aimed at addressing drug trafficking and violence.
