The US immigration bureaucracy was so badly damaged by the last administration that there is considerable progress to be made on the immigration front in the next year or two simply by cleaning up the mess left behind. That's a reasonable first priority.

At least if he tries they can't say he ignored the issue.

Strengthening that bet is the fact that historically, recessions are not periods during which the white working class displays a particularly cosmopolitan bent.

But remember that there are two sides to "immigration reform". One is fixing the system so people have a chance to immigrate legally, and the other is enforcement. Mad white people just might forgive or overlook letting more people immigrate legally if in return they get to send back people who are here illegally.

I do agree that there's not much chance of action this year. But then we can always be surprised.

Ultimately, I don't see anything legislative happening until 2011 at the earliest. But as alkali says, there's a degree of regulatory and bureaucratic reform that could take place without legislation.

What's different from the last few cycles, though, is that you're less likely to get the kind of election-year grandstanding in Congress -- instead, it's going to happen on the state level, with a bona fide bigot like Steve King considering running for the Iowa governorship.

So there's potentially room to do a couple of years of smart groundwork.

What the article fails to note is that there's already a slightly smaller amnesty in Congress that benefits children... children up to 35 years of age that is.

Patriotic Americans who want to block that bill should go to public appearances by its nationally-known supporters and really press them on the question here. Don't just ask it, but ram it home. Get the supporters response on video and upload it to Youtube.

Ezra, the staffers of those Dems who support the bill, and the like might want to consider the impact on the career of one of those supporters if someone who's good at asking questions - such as a trial lawyer - really presses someone on that question.

ya, the agenda is pretty full, but next year in election year, and that means no sane person would attempt immigration change that is rational in 2010.

my sense of things is that the administration is in process of doing fewer worker raids/captures and more employer sanctions. until the employers are begging for congress to act, legislation is very iffy. This isn't surprising, since workers in general are a low priority congress (think EFCA), but non-voting workers are off the radar.

these factors, plus the recession suggest studying rather legislation should be the short term activity.

One other factor: many of the latino workers were doing construction and service jobs, and those jobs are near gone now - and apparently many have returned to their country of origin since they get no benefits for being unemployed. These jobs won't be returning quick if the zombie bank (5 to 10 year low growth) recession occurs as many realistic economists believe.

Actually, there might be an opportunity for some certain kinds of reform of immigration because the statistics are starting to show that not only has immigration declined, there's a trend of illegal immigrants and seasonal workers to head back home; there's no work, and they have families they've left behind, so they're heading back. (NPR did a thing about this).

If that's true, than the worst-case-scenario fears of anti-immigration reformists are reduced. Lou Dobbs can't make the case that loosening immigration restrictions is going to lead to 14 million new immigrants because, well, there won't be. At the same time, we can deal with the legal status of the ones who are already here.

You're right, however, that this year is not the time. Next year is probably not the time either, because nobody will want to tangle with this volatile subject right before a midterm.

If I were a betting man, I'd put my $50 on immigration reform being discussed--calmly, and with less of the insanity of the last go-round--in 2011.

Nobody cares about your obsessive masturbatory fantasies, Lonewacko.

The white working class has sometimes been less than “cosmopolitan” especially when unemployment shoots up toward 25% as in the great depression and so supported perfectly legal deportations. What about the black working class? How cosmopolitan are they? O, I forgot that there is no black working class because lefties and righties have been conspiring to import 18 or 20 million illegals so that nobody ever has to hire any lower class black men ever again. No skin off my nose because I’m a white cosmopolitan, like most everybody at TAP. O, and “Paco, finish with the lawn mooee rapeedo and then clean the pool but do it better this time! Capiche? Comprendaroni?”

P.S. to "Everyone": I and many others out there do care about the man's views. And also you just aren't literally "everyone" now are you? I rather think you're hardly one person. And I double-dog dare you to throw a panicked fit about my views.

Ezra, after I wrote this I've been reading around and thinking, and I'm afraid I may agree with you. I think President Obama is toeing a line carefully and we may not see actual legislation this year. However, that may be wisest, and it would be right in line with the style of many other moves Obama has made—thoughtfully and after investigating the situation from a few angles and after speaking to people more involved and knowledgeable than himself on the issue. As was mentioned above by one of your sane commenters, there are other moves aside from legislation that can improve many peoples' lives, such as reining in the ICE raids and enforcing proper health oversight at the growing number of detention centers wherein the undocumented are being shunted consequent of the raids, and as many reports show, being abused and neglected. Surely even the White Working Class can appreciate Obama's making moves to help working humans from being taken from their families, imprisoned and abused.

As far as the DREAM act, and the maniac above who calls people "patriotic" for opposing it (I really think that word means whatever people want anymore, and usually has to do with perverting the actual meaning of the word, oddly) I have to disagree.

But here are a couple other links to augment the others they have left, above. You can find exhaustive commentary opposite the tone of the commenter above; one that is expansive, humane, empathetic, and wise.

http://www.citizenorange.com/orange/2009/03/pass-the-dream-act-for-future.html

http://www.dreamactivist.org

Interesting. You post misinformed and extreme comments about the DREAM act, and even ones that use language like "masturbatory fantasies" or that mock Spanish language and insinuate menial and stupid laborers speak it—but you don't post my comment that offered both historical info and rational counterpoints. Two published comments are anonymous in essence and mine was linked to my blog and name.

Okay. I see what you got going on here, friend.

Yes! We want immigration reform. There's something very wrong with the way immigration doesn't work in our country and we need to get that fixed as soon as possible. Since it has been so difficult for people to come here that some came without authorization, I favor amnesty for the unauthorized migrants. It's only right. The additional migrants will help pay down our national debt and we will have a greater gross domestic product. Our grand children wont be in such financial trouble. Bring on more immigrants. It's the better way!

The legislative body of this country has put off a solution to this issue for years. The debate is usually so heated that nothing ever gets done. If it is not done this year, then when? Next year is election year, and so it will be another year lost. The faster we get these unauthorized immigrants into our system, the faster they can start pay their fines, the faster they can pay more taxes (some of them already are), and the faster we will get out of this recession. Let's get it done now.

One thing that we can do right away (and it's already on the way!) is to pass the DREAM Act. What fault do these kids have? They were brought here, and had no say in the decision to migrate. How many times has the DREAM Act been introduced? Time and again, ignorance and faulty/emotional thinking always ended up killing it. We were close to passing it in 2007. 2009 is the year. DREAM Act 09!

www.dreamactivist.org