In his first State of the Union address since winning re-election, President Obama encouraged Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform and produce a bill for his signature “within months.” Referring to the recent bipartisan cooperation on drafting a compromise, the president acknowledged the ongoing work of leaders in both chambers of Congress and urged “[n]ow let’s get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away.”

As expected, President Obama’s framework for reform includes a combination of robust border enforcement and a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States. According to the president, “[r]eal reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my administration has already made – putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history, and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years. Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship – a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally. And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.”

Alluding to the economic benefit of achieving comprehensive immigration reform, President Obama also declared that “[o]ur economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”

Delivering the Republican Party’s response, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida also referenced the economic impact of immigration reform, stating “[w]e can also help our economy grow if we have a legal immigration system that allows us to attract and assimilate the world’s best and brightest. We need a responsible, permanent solution to the problem of those who are here illegally. But first, we must follow through on the broken promises of the past to secure our borders and enforce our laws.”