Gutierrez: Obama Won Respect With Change In Deportation Policy
CHICAGO (CBS) -- U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) says President Barack Obama bolstered his bid for re-election, by his latest moves on Immigration reform.
As WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, Gutierrez says Obama was elected with overwhelming and enthusiastic support from Latino voters, but the president's track record has been weak in advocates' eyes.
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For that reason, Gutierrez is glad the White House adopted new policies on deportations, no matter that some will say Obama is just trying to set himself up to win reelection.
"How do I go back to that community if the mantra is, 'I deported more people than George Bush?' That's the difficulty," Gutierrez said, "and every now and then, and hope more often than not, you can get good politics and good public policy."
The new policy on deportation was announced by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano last week. Under the new rules, many illegal immigrants who faced deportation despite having no criminal record will be allowed to stay in the country and apply for work permits.
Gutierrez will be WBBM Newsradio's guest this weekend "At Issue," which you can hear Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.
