Politics Ups ASU

CIR
1NC UQ
CIR will pass and its TOA Obamas pushing and Boehner will compromise
Fox News 12/22 (FoxNews.com, Obama, top Dems now appear to be pushing for comprehensive
immigration reform, 12/22/2013, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/22/obama-top-dems-
now-appear-to-be-pushing-for-comprehensive-immigration-reform/, AC)
President Obama and his top Democrats on Capitol Hill appear to have reset their sights on the Republican-controlled
House passing comprehensive immigration reform, instead of a step-by-step process, as lawmakers leave Washington for the Christmas holiday break. The
president on Friday appeared to urge the House to back the comprehensive, bipartisan immigration bill the Senate passed this summer -- a
departure from recent comments that suggested Obama was OK with the lower chambers apparent piecemeal plan. The Senate bill has the main
components of comprehensive immigration reform that would boost our economy, give us an opportunity to attract more investment and high-skilled workers who are doing great things in places like Silicon Valley and around the
country, Obama said in the year-end press conference. So lets go ahead and get that done. Though Obama has pressed House
Republicans hard in the final months of 2013 on immigration reform, his remarks this week appear in contrast to him saying in November that he had no problem with House leaders carving the immigration
bill into, say, five pieces. As long as all five pieces get done, I don't care what it looks like," he told The Wall Street Journals CEO Council. "What we don't want to do is simply carve out one piece of it . . . but leave behind some of
the tougher stuff that still needs to get done." Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner has repeatedly said he will neither scheduled a vote on the Senate bill, as Vice President Biden called for last week, nor negotiate with Senate
Democratic on the upper chambers legislation. We have no intention of ever going to conference on the Senate bill, The Ohio Republican said last month. Though the House has yet to vote on any part of an immigrations bill, the
chamber appears to be concerned first with securing the U.S.-Mexico border and not including a path to citizenship for some of the estimate 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States. Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid, Nevada, appeared to continue the shift among Democrats when he suggested this weekend that Boehner will negotiate next year on comprehensive
reform. Boehner has indeed expressed a willingness to pass reform, despite some opposition from the chambers conservative wing.
2NC UQ
Will pass overwhelming House support
Tijerino 1/6 (Jose Antonio Tijerino, CEO and President of Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Immigration
Reform Is Counting on House Republicans More Than Ever in 2014, 01/06/2014,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jose-antonio-tijerino/immigration-reform-house-
republicans_b_4533410.html, AC)
Well, over two dozen Republican Congressional Members have publicly supported immigration reform over the
past year, so that's a start. And doing quick math, it will take 218 votes to pass a bill in the House, and if about 200 Democrats support the effort, which they will, you only need
the couple dozen Republicans I just mentioned to make history and help their party by mending the fractured relationship with Latinos and
Asians, who represent an attractive voting bloc going forward. Yes, it's doable. As we begin 2014 we should do so with great optimism, especially if at this point both
sides of Congress work together to present House Speaker John Boehner with a bill he can get behind, as he did with the budget bill a month ago when he
acted like a man thinking about his legacy as he winds down a bumpy tenure as leader. The time is now -- ahorra -- to get something done. If it
doesn't happen in by first quarter, members will be in election cycle, and it will not happen. We are counting on the leadership of certain Republicans to pass immigration reform.
Leaders such as Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has said, "I'm in favor of a citizenship path," and hasn't backed off that statement. Proving her stance is
not just talk as the first Latina Congressional Representative in American history, she has a longstanding record on immigration including support of the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central
American Relief Act (NACARA) led by former Republican Representative Lincoln Diaz Balart, also from Florida, who also pushed for the Dream Act with Ros-Lehtinen, who also co-sponsored the
bill. In addition, Ros-Lehtinen worked to provide Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for U.S. residents from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti and other nations and recently drafted a
bipartisan Congressional letter requested Department of Homeland Security to offer TPS to nationals of the Philippines who are victims of the devastating typhoon. Over the summer, she was
also one of six Republicans to vote thumbs-down against Steve King's amendment to the Department of Homeland Security bill which would bloc funding to implement DACA. She even visited
the Fast For Families tent in support of the spiritual movement to push for immigration reform. It will take leaders such as Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart
who has worked tirelessly on the issue over the years including with the bipartisan group Gang of Seven -- which dissolved after all
of the Republicans except for him left. Diaz-Balart has not been afraid to take a stand on immigration with his party and continues to support a pathway
to citizenship and voted for the Dream Act. Diaz-Balart understands how critical it is to meet with Democrats and community stakeholders to find the best way forward in passing
immigration reform. Fortunately, Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balart are not alone in the House. Sam Johnson (TX), John
Carter (TX), Jeff Denham (CA), David Valadao (CA), and others should be countable for a vote if an immigration
bill is proposed with House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte of Virginia saying recently that Republican reps continue to work "behind the scenes" in
trying to pass an immigration reform bill. Add California's Darrell Issa who poignantly said, "I think all of us Republicans know that we
don't want a class of residents that will never be offered an opportunity for citizenship. We're the party of Lincoln,
and the party of Lincoln would not accept people living in our country and not being citizens, or not being given the opportunity to become citizens." Then there are the numbers ... yes, the
burgeoning population of Latino, Asian and other groups who have an emotional investment in immigration reform. Even among the general public, support for
immigration reform is palpable -- according to the Pew Hispanic Center survey, 71 percent of Americans support undocumented immigrants remaining in the US if
they meet certain requirements while only 27 percent say they should not. And in terms of the Republican Party turning the corner with an elusive voting bloc which greatly influenced the last
presidential election, a poll by Latino Decisions, which studies Latino voting trends, found that of the Latino voters who voted in the last mid-term elections, nearly 40 percent stated they
would vote for Republican candidates if the Representative would play a role in passing an immigration reform which
included a path to citizenship

Will pass budget deal means Boehner will negotiate
WorkPermit 1/7 (workpermit.com, Congress may pass US immigration reform in 2014,
01/07/2014, http://www.workpermit.com/news/2014-01-07/congress-may-pass-us-immigration-
reform-in-2014, AC)
US sources report that the lower house of the US Congress, The House of Representatives, may vote on a comprehensive
immigration reform bill in 2014. The vice president, Joe Biden said early in December that 'it's going to happen'. There are
several more reasons for optimism. An unexpected bipartisan agreement on the US federal budget means that the
House will have more time available next year. Many Washington commentators had expected much of 2014 to be taken up with
argument between Democrats and Republicans about federal government spending. But on December 18th, Congress approved
government funding until 2015 which will free up time for other matters. More importantly still, the Republican
speaker of the House, John Boehner, has said that he wants to pass reform when there is time. Mr Boehner has,
until now, refused to allow a vote on an immigration reform act already passed by the Senate
2NC AT: Piecemeal
Even a piecemeal approach will contain a pathway to citizenship key internal link
Sun Times 1/4 (Chicago Sun Times, Immigration reform is possible this year, Editorials,
http://www.suntimes.com/opinions/24722793-474/immigration-reform-possible-this-year.html, AC)
Now the same self-serving calculus appears to be serving the nation well in creating promising political conditions to pass
comprehensive immigration reform. This, finally, could be the year. Democrats have long favored cutting a single big
deal Hispanic voters are, by and large, their voters. Now Republicans, waking to the realization that their days as a
national party are numbered if they dont broaden their appeal, are showing an uncharacteristic
eagerness to tackle the problem, too. The GOP prefers a piecemeal approach, one that we fear could be nothing more than a
way to avoid the most radioactive reforms; but the approach taken matters less than the essential result reached
a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants now living among us. The election-year calendar works in
favor of reform. After the March primary elections, Republicans in all but the most severely gerrymandered districts may be more
willing to sign onto immigration reform, looking to appeal to more moderate voters in November. For a few brief months, they
may be more amenable to the entreaties of their own partys national leaders. John Boehners growing backbone works in favor
of reform. The House speakers open disgust with ideologically militant tea party groups, who he now says have
lost all credibility, is a strong sign hes ready to buck them on immigration reform. The man is still
embarrassed that he allowed the tea party faction of his caucus to shut down the federal government last year. But a better sign yet that
Boehner is serious about immigration reform was his recent hiring of Rebecca Tallent, a prominent adviser
on the issue to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has long backed immigration reform.
2NC PC Key
PC key Obama needs to be cautious with his pol cap
AP 1/7 (Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, Obama begins a renewed political push for immigration
reform in 2014, 01/07/2014, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2014/01/president-obama-
congress-push-for-immigration-reform-one-final-time.html, AC)
WASHINGTON -- His agenda tattered by last year's confrontations and missteps, President Barack Obama begins 2014 clinging to the hope
of winning a lasting legislative achievement: an overhaul of immigration laws. It will require a deft and careful use
of his power s, combining a public campaign in the face of protests over his administration's record number of deportations with quiet, behind-the-scenes
outreach to Congress, something seen by lawmakers and immigration advocates as a major White House weakness. In recent weeks, both Obama and House
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, have sent signals that raised expectations among overhaul supporters that 2014
could still yield the first comprehensive change in immigration laws in nearly three decades. If successful, it would
fulfill an Obama promise many Latinos say is overdue.
2NC Economy
One thing the overwhelming majority of Americans agree on, regardless of political party, is the need for
immigration reform. Not only is it one of the keys necessary to create a healthier national economy
and critical to Americas security, growth, and prosperity, it is also an integral component for the
success of American business. The current employment-based immigration system is broken to the
point of disarray but not to a point of disrepair. The facts speak for themselves: 1. In the European
Union, work-related visas account for 40 percent of immigration (excluding intra-EU movement). In the
United States, only six percent of foreign workers are granted permanent entry on work-related visas.
Outdated institutional quotas are shutting talent and expertise out, when other countries are ushering
them in. 2. Overall, 36 percent of those receiving a highly-coveted, highly valuable STEM-related
doctorate in a U.S. university were students holding temporary visas. The situation is further
exacerbated in PhD programs for engineering, mathematics, and computer science over half of
candidates enrolled are foreign students, studying in the U.S. on temporary student visas. Theyll go
home, or elsewhere, equipped with gold-mark U.S. university credentials to put their education to work.
3. Between 1993 and 2008, the proportion of scientists and engineers over 50 in the U.S. increased from
18 percent to 27 percent. Were simply not preparing to replace those who will soon retire. While
America has a bright future, we must have policies that enable American business to grow and thrive.
Our policies must ensure that America is competitive around the world for decades to come. Deloittes
nearly 60,000 professionals work daily for over two-thirds of the Fortune 500 companies, meaning our
services, in some form, touch 17.5 million people, all of whom contribute to the strength and resiliency
of Americas economy. What we experience firsthand and hear from our clients is that U.S. businesses
today have the desire, willingness, and potential to do more to grow more, innovate more, hire more,
and contribute more to Americas economy. But to do it, they need the ability and access to hire the
right people for the right jobs. Make no mistake: if we fail to attract the brightest minds and best
people, other countries will. This is a global battle for talent a battle America is determined to win. To
keep America on top as the desired destination for doctors, engineers, and entrepreneurs, startups and
headquarters of multinationals, to keep America the place where anyone can realize their dreams if
theyre willing to put in the work, we need to take four strategic steps. First, we must uphold a
continued commitment to higher education for Americans. Well create the jobs of the future here at
home by attracting future entrepreneurs, inventors, and scientists to study at the most prestigious,
technologically advanced universities and then inviting them to stay, get to work, and make their
homes here, in America. Second, we must quickly increase access to highly skilled professionals by
raising the H-1B visa cap. This past year, the H-1B visa quota was met six months before the federal
governments fiscal year commenced a record of 124,000 H-1B visa applications were received by the
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for only 65,000 coveted slots. Even as American universities
churn out highly skilled professionals the envy of the world there remains a steady demand for
foreign talent to complement our domestic workforce. Making bright minds brilliant at our places of
learning does the U.S. no good if we send those students packing after graduation. Third, we must
increase the number of available employment-based green cards. The principle of supply and demand
informs us that the American economy in sectors from agriculture to manufacturing, computer
science to physical science can absorb more talent. We have set arbitrarily low, artificial limits on who
can obtain a green card and correcting this will stoke real, measurable growth with more human
energy. Last, to ensure stability and predictability for American businesses, we must ensure a consistent
visa processing system, one that includes strategic enforcement of the immigration laws already in
place. We simply cannot afford to wait any longer to bring real solutions to a system that isnt working
as we need it to. Our current immigration policies are not just hurting those looking to come to America,
but those already here, by stifling opportunities for tremendous growth. The need is immediate. The
solutions are sound. Its time for policymakers to take action to achieve a goal we can all get behind:
elevating the quality of life of all Americans, and securing the future for American business