What’s Happening with Immigration Reform?

Since the introduction of a “framework” for immigration reform at the end of April, there has not been much to report in terms of movement in Congress towards comprehensive immigration reform.  In the Senate, no Republican has signed on to the effort, and the Democrats have not converted their “framework” into legislation.  In the House, CIR ASAP has received more co-sponsors since its introduction in December (it now has 97), but no bill has been considered in Committee, and the House does not plan to move until a bill has been passed in the Senate.

Coming up in the Senate is consideration of a Supreme Court nominee.  The Judiciary Committee will begin hearings at the end of the month.  Also coming up are elections.  We are in the midst of primary season, and this magnifies the shyness politicians have about doing anything that might be viewed by potential voters as controversial.  Many Republicans have faced challenges to their right and, even if they had been inclined to support reasonable immigration reform in the past, they are running fast from those previous positions and saying instead that we need to “secure the border.”

Meanwhile, there is a lively debate brewing in the advocacy community about what to do with legislation that has already been introduced targeting smaller populations for legalization—the DREAM Act and AgJOBS.  In part, the viability of an effort to pass these bills will depend on what will be packaged with them.  The DREAM Act or AgJOBs will still have to move through the same Senate and House, with their strong restrictionist contingents.  What are the enforcement measures that restrictionists will demand in payment?

Obviously, any enforcement measures that come with legislation that would legalize a portion of the undocumented population will have a more severe impact on the remainder of that population than enforcement measures contained in legislation that would legalize most of the undocumented population.