During a meeting with representatives of the law enforcement community on Friday in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C. to discuss immigration reform, Vice President Joe Biden argued that an overhaul of the nation's laws would make communities safer and law enforcement officers' jobs easier. The White House pool report read that Biden spoke to the officials for about 10 minutes, during which he repeated several times that immigration reform was "a public safety issue writ large". His urging could be seen as the latest step by the Obama administration to ramp up pressure on House Republicans, who have resisted efforts from Democrats and senior members of the GOP to act quickly on the issue.
"Fixing the broken immigration system is going to allow-allow law enforcement to focus on catching criminals and keeping neighborhoods safe," Biden said.
RELATED: Will Steve King Ever Support Legalization For Undocumented Immigrants?
The vice president told the officials that the immigration status of America's estimated 11 million undocumented should raise concern for law enforcement because people might be afraid to call the police on others, and gave the example of a domestic abuse case that might never get reported. He also made mention of agricultural workers who do not put their money in banks because of their immigration status and who, when robbed, don't report it.
RELATED: Paul Ryan, 'Guiding Light' Of Reform Supporters, Says Undocumented 'Just Want To Have A Legal Status', Not Citizenship
Biden also cited as a benefit for law enforcement the bill's requirements that all undocumented immigrants come forward and register, submit to fingerprinting, and pass a series of background checks in addition to paying fees and taxes on earnings before they can join other legal immigrants on the path to citizenship.
"Fixing the broken immigration system is going to allow-allow law enforcement to focus on catching criminals and keeping neighborhoods safe," he said.
Biden also added that border crossings have declined sharply, while security measures in Senate's bill would help cut down on human and drug trafficking as well.
RELATED: 'We're Not Winning' On Immigration, McCain Admits
The vice president is weighing a run for president in 2016. "I can die a happy man never having been president of the United States of America. But it doesn't mean I won't run," he told GQ's Jeanne Marie Laskas this week. "The judgment I'll make is, first of all, am I still as full of as much energy as I have now -- do I feel this? Number two, do I think I'm the best person in the position to move the ball? And, you know, we'll see where the hell I am."
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
