On Friday's Situation Room, CNN commentator Jack Cafferty returned to slamming President Obama and Congress on their inaction in enforcing the immigration laws of the United States. Cafferty also singled out Democratic Senator Charles Schumer for his "great chutzpah" in asking Arizona to delay the implementation of its new anti-illegal immigration law.
The CNN personality first stated during his 5 pm Eastern hour commentary that "the federal government...is trying to play catch-up with the State of Arizona when it comes to immigration reform. President Obama is calling on Congress to start work this year on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The translation is, nothing will get done this year."
Cafferty continued by focusing his criticism on Obama specifically:
CAFFERTY: The President acknowledges the nation's immigration system is broken, and yet, criticizes Arizona's new law, saying that that undermines- quote, 'fundamental principles that define us as a nation,' unquote. Portions of the Arizona law are word for word the same as the federal immigration law which is ignored year after year. Mr. Obama promised immigration reform during his first year in office. We're now approaching the midway point of his second year, and even some Democrats are getting tired of waiting for the President to do something. President Obama has suggested there's not an appetite in Congress for another fiery debate in an election year, and just yesterday, his press secretary said that there's not enough support to move forward- except, of course, in the country, where there is overwhelming support for doing something.
Before proposing his "Question of the Hour" ("How seriously do you take the President and Congress when it comes to immigration reform?"), the commentator set his sights on Schumer and slammed the legislative body in general for their
CAFFERTY: New York Senator Chuck Schumer, in an act of great chutzpah, tells Arizona Governor Jan Brewer a delay would give Congress a chance to pass a federal law, which would be more effective than Arizona's. Governor Brewer says, no way. She, like the rest of us, has been lied to before. They want another year to do nothing, so they can campaign for the midterms without having to explain to the voters why they refuse to do anything meaningful about border security and illegal immigration. They're not even any good at covering up their real motives anymore.
Cafferty's Friday segment was the third in almost two weeks where he criticized Obama and his Democratic allies' reaction to the new Arizona law. During his April 26 commentary, after noting how the President called the anti-illegal immigration law "misguided," the CNN personality replied, "What's misguided, Mr. President, is the federal government's ongoing refusal to enforce the laws that are already on the books." Two days later, Cafferty slammed the possibility that the Obama administration would challenge the Arizona law in court: "How utterly absurd. There are 460,000 illegal aliens currently inside Arizona's borders, and the reason they're there is that the federal government refuses to enforce our immigration laws."
