Reid touts Obama’s immigration plan, urges Congress to act

By Ana Ley

Published Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 | 2:28 p.m.

Updated Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 | 3:23 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today to tout President Barack Obama’s plan to defer deportation for millions of people as “a good first step” for mending the country’s broken immigration system, urging Congress to deliver a permanent fix by passing a more comprehensive bill.

Reid, who is eyeing a sixth term in the U.S. Senate in 2016, told fellow senators Obama’s plan “needed to be done,” according to an excerpt from his speech today.

“Because of President Obama’s recent executive actions, many immigrant families celebrated the (Thanksgiving) holiday for the first time without the threat of deportation,” Reid said. “Instead of staying in the shadows, they openly gave thanks for the blessings of family and America.”

With an immigration bill stuck in Congress for more than a year and a half, Obama visited Las Vegas on Nov. 21 to sign an executive action granting relief for nearly 5 million people living in the country illegally, including parents of children who are permanent residents or U.S. citizens.

Reid’s support of the president’s plan puts him close to an important voting bloc in Nevada that could decide his fate in 2016 if he decides to run again. The soon-to-be minority leader won re-election in 2010 by taking 90 percent of the Hispanic vote, according to research website Latino Decisions.

The Washington Post has called Reid the “most endangered Democrat in the Senate,” and to win in 2016, he’ll need support from Latinos.

"I definitely think Reid is doing all the right things that he could and should be doing to position himself for a successful re-election," said Andres Ramirez, a former Reid staffer and political consultant in Las Vegas.