Obama may push immigration overhaul in '10

'Tough pathway' to citizenship for illegal immigrants also proposed.

President Barack Obama's administration suggested Friday it may push an immigration overhaul next year.

In a speech at the Center for American Progress in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano highlighted recent efforts to improve border security and enforcement and said another attempt to overhaul immigration laws is the next step.

"The hope is that when we get into the first part of 2010, that we will see legislation begin to move," she said.

She said the overhaul would include a "tough and fair pathway" for illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens by registering, paying a fine and all taxes, passing a criminal background check and learning English.

A recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center estimated that 11.9 illegal immigrants live in the United States, a population that grew rapidly from 1990 to 2006 before stabilizing. They currently make up 4 percent of the nation's population.

-- Ryan Teague Beckwith, Congress.org

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