There is one pressing issue in politics right now that may not be solved through bipartisan action. In a press conference the day after the GOP midterm victory, President Barack Obama acknowledged one issue where compromise may not happen and executive orders may be necessary: immigration reform.

Though the president should do all he can to raise bipartisan support for immigration reform, it may never find its way through Congress. If the GOP-led Congress does not move to repair our troubled immigration system quickly, Obama should stick to his word and implement executive orders to fix it.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who likely will be the next Senate Majority Leader, met Obama’s desire for cooperation. In a Nov. 5 press conference, he stated that “When the American people chose divided government… it means they want us to look for areas of agreement.”

It is great to see Democrat and Republican leaders willing to work together. But immigration seems to be lower on the GOP’s list of priorities. Immigration reform has been on Congress’s agenda for years, but very little progress has been made. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill in 2013 to reform the system, but it was never brought it up for a vote in the Republican-led House.

Republicans have condemned Obama’s proposal to reform immigration on his own. In a press conference on Nov. 6, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) declared that Obama is “going to burn himself” if he uses executive authority to solve immigration problems. McConnell shared this view in a Nov. 5 news conference, saying that his actions would anger Republicans “like waving a red flag in front of a bull.”

If Republicans do not want Obama to take action alone, they should solve the problem themselves. Obama promised in his Nov. 5 press conference that if Congress produces an immigration bill, “those executive actions go away.” Cooperation and compromise between both parties will produce the strongest and most comprehensive legislation. Obama knows this, and is using executive orders as a motivator.

This problem cannot keep being put on the backburner; the problems resulting from our flawed system are immediate. Our current immigration system makes it too difficult for immigrants to become citizens. It requires expensive employment visas, a nuclear family member already in America or other unjust requirements. These immigrants already have deep roots in America and contribute to our workforce, so it is only fitting to permit them citizenship.

Reforming immigration will also help our economy. Each day, millions of immigrants are exploited and underpaid for their work in this country. Reform would help ensure that they are treated as fairly as other American workers. Also, by providing non-threatening immigrants an easier path to citizenship, we will decrease the necessity of border patrol and law enforcement to track down illegal immigrants.

The president must remember the immediacy and importance of our immigration problem. Reform has been put off for so long already that his threats of executive orders may not spur change. If Congress does not take action in a timely manner, Obama must stick to his word and do everything he lawfully can to fix our flawed immigration system.

Kathryn Krawczyk is a freshman magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at kjkrawczyk@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @KathrynKrawczyk.

Published on November 13, 2014 at 12:01 am