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Coinciding with the re-introduction of the DREAM Act in the Senate, President Obama has made immigration reform a major policy focus this week. Yesterday Obama implored attendees at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast to keep pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. And on Tuesday in El Paso, Texas Obama made headlines for addressing the controversial topic at length. Obama has been criticized for abandoning campaign promises to push for reform in his first two years in office, while a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment and legislation has swept the nation. Neither of Obama’s speeches revealed a new plan or new direction. During his El Paso speech he acknowledged that yearly deportations have increased under his administration. The increase is a source of major contention between the President and the immigrant rights movement. However Obama reiterated that his approach is more humane, saying, “We are focusing our limited resources on violent offenders and people convicted of crimes; not families.” However the President’s basic assertion that his approach satisfies both human rights advocates and border security hawks is disputed by Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant rights group. On Wednesday Voces cited figures from the Immigration and Naturalization Enforcement agency contradicting the President. According to ICE, of all the people deported through its Secure Communities program only 30% were violent criminals. Obama’s sudden focus on immigration was derided by many as an attempt to stump for his 2012 campaign. He went on the popular Spanish-language television network Univision yesterday night to directly confront that criticism.

GUEST: Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director, Voces de la Frontera

Find out more at www.vdlf.org.