President Obama speaks at 2:55 p.m. Eastern today on immigration reform, which is also the topic of today’s editorial (“A good start on immigration reform”).
Obama’s speech is to be delivered at a Las Vegas event and is being streamed live here.
Update: The live event has ended. Watch an excerpt:
From The Associated Press:
“Obama “will certainly note today the promising signs we’ve seen in Congress, most specifically the bipartisan principles put together by the group of senators that mirror his own principles,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Nevada. “That is cause for hope. And what you’ll hear from the president today is how we need to take these initial positive steps and continue to move forward so that actual legislation is produced.”
Senators today began selling their immigration plan, announced Monday, on TV and radio.
What they’re saying:
Border enforcement and border security is a pre-requisite. And obviously that makes sense since we don’t want to have a repeat again some years from now of another group of people coming to this country illegally.”
— Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaking on CBS This Morning
There’ll be some admission of wrongdoing. It is not amnesty in any sense of the word.”
— Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., speaking about the path to citizenship on MSNBC
It is a good moment to remind people and the country that the vast majority of conservatives favor legal immigration, and we don’t have a legal immigration system that works right now. And our problem with illegal immigration is that it undermines legal immigration.”
— Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaking on Fox News
More on immigration reform
The Senate’s bipartisan plan, point by point.
How the Senate’s plan would increase the number of work permits available.
Photo: President Barack Obama waves today from the top of the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., on his way to Las Vegas. (AP/Susan Walsh)