At White House, chances of immigration overhaul appear bleak

WASHINGTON — A White House commitment to overhaul the nation's immigration system this year is collapsing, with the Obama administration undecided about the best way to proceed on an issue that at one time was identified as a top, first-year priority.

Immigration advocates who meet regularly with White House officials said the Obama administration has been considering two approaches: convening a summit meeting devoted to the issue and putting forward its own bill. Those who attended a session Friday with administration officials said they came away with no indication the White House had settled on a course of action.

"[President Obama] made some commitments that he's supposed to be delivering on," said Angela Kelley, vice president for immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to the White House. "And that was over a month ago. So everybody can look at the calendar and make a pretty educated guess about how many days we have to get immigration done."

Immigration advocates fear the White House is doing the bare minimum needed to appease Hispanic voters, while concentrating efforts on more urgent priorities.

Hispanics also are anxious over an Arizona bill designed to crack down on illegal immigration. An Obama aide said the White House is reviewing the bill, expected to be signed by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.

In a statement Tuesday, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said: "Latino and immigrant voters remember the promises they heard and are tuned in enough to see they haven't been kept."

A White House official said Tuesday that Obama still wants to pass a bill this year and is trying to round up co-sponsors. Flying home from a trip to Los Angeles, he telephoned Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., from Air Force One and asked him to consider supporting an immigration bill, according to a Brown aide.

Brown told Obama he would review any legislation that comes up, but believes "that the immediate focus should be on fixing the economy and creating jobs," the aide said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who met with Obama at the White House last month to discuss progress on immigration, said the president needs to put forward a plan. It's not clear Obama intends to do that. The White House suggested in a statement Tuesday that it wants Congress to take the lead.

Graham and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., have outlined a proposal that combines tough border security with a path to legal status for illegal immigrants that involves payment of fines and back taxes.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., once a proponent of a sweeping immigration overhaul, has shifted to the right in the face of a primary challenge in his home state. He has released a 10-point plan that focuses exclusively on border security.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., a supporter of the 10-point plan, said: "The prospects this year are not very good" for passage of an immigration bill. He cited "huge violence" at the border and the lack of consensus.

Tribune Washington bureau reporter Janet Hook and The Associated Press contributed to this report.