Can Obama afford to ignore immigration?
March 3, 2009 Subscribe in a readerWhere was immigration in Obama's 6,134-word speech
In the 6,134-word speech, which briefly touched on Afghanistan and the Middle East, one crucial issue wasn't mentioned: immigration. The agenda is so full that the political circuits may be overloaded. Some argue the urgency of the issue is eroding with the deteriorating economy. The number of illegal immigrants entering the United States has plunged - down to as few as 300,000 last year, or less than half of what it was several years ago - with more leaving now than arriving.
And the politics are even tougher than in the last Congress, when the bipartisan effort of Senators Edward Kennedy and John McCain and President George W. Bush exploded in emotional recriminations by Republicans and crass calculations by some Democrats. With joblessness having soared since then, it is tougher to argue that the economy needs these workers.
Still, the notion that immigration can be finessed is a mirage. The problem will only get worse, and so will the politics. Obama, 47, a Democrat, would have to renege on his campaign promise to push a major immigration overhaul along the lines of the Kennedy-McCain measure in his first year.
The agriculture, food service and construction industries rely on immigrants. They are going through down times, but they'll need more immigrants when they bounce back.
That's true of the overall economy, says Tamar Jacoby, a scholar who favors an overhaul of the immigration system.
"Immigration reform may be harder in the middle of a recession, to make the case that we need more workers," Jacoby says. "But the only way out of a recession is to grow out of it, and we need workers to do that."
Even with the drop in the number of illegal immigrants - there are still an estimated 11.5 million in the country, or about 4 percent of the population - the social tensions are worsening. Highly publicized raids are disrupting communities and generating furious resentment among Hispanics.
40 percent of inmates in federal prisons are Hispanic
The new Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, wasn't even notified of a raid in Washington State last week.
And 40 percent of inmates in federal prisons are Hispanic; half of them are in for committing immigration crimes, not because they are violent criminals, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, which is based in Washington. That's a huge cost to society.
Given the full agenda, some say the White House should wait on immigration until after the next congressional elections in 2010. Doing so, Jacoby warns, would be a mistake. "Bush waited too long, and then he didn't have the juice."
Ironically, two Democrats who are now among the most critically situated on the issue, former Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois and Senator Charles Schumer of New York, were impediments in the last Congress, although both are advocates of immigration reform.
Emanuel worried that the issue would hurt House Democratic candidates in conservative districts, and Schumer clashed with Kennedy, the architect of the Senate bill, over strategy.
Those two smart politicians no doubt appreciate a changed political landscape, with a bigger-than-expected Latino turnout last November.
"Both Schumer and Emanuel understand the 2008 election was a game-changer," says Frank Sharry, founder and director of the pro-immigration group America's Voice.
Earlier fears that immigration had hurt Democrats in 2006 in an Illinois House race and a special election in Massachusetts were trumped by several dozen races in which immigration-bashing failed and advocates of Kennedy-McCain-type measures succeeded.
Dramatic illustrations came in the heavily Hispanic states of New Mexico and Arizona. Three years ago, 9 of the 11 House members from those states were Republicans; today 8 of the 11 are Democrats, in large part because of Hispanic voters.
The impact wasn't only in Western states. In places like Virginia and North Carolina, a smaller number of Hispanic voters provided winning margins.
One incumbent Democrat whom House Republicans were confident of defeating last November was Representative Paul Kanjorski of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Republican candidate was the mayor of Hazleton, whose local crackdown included fining landlords for renting to illegal immigrants and inspired a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. Yet on Election Day, Kanjorski survived.
In the presidential race, McCain unfairly suffered, because the Republicans became identified as the anti-immigration party. Obama carried the Latino vote by better than 2-to-1, with a big turnout.
Enter the Green Card Lottery. 55,000 Green Card’s Must Go Each Year. Let us help you reach your dream of becoming an American resident today! |
Return to USA Diversity Lottery's immigration news page to read more immigration news.
Green Card Test
Take the free test to see if you qualify. If you do, apply for the USA Diversity Visa Green Card Lottery here on the Official USA Diversity Lottery site and your dreams may soon come true. 55,000 diversity immigrant visas (Green Cards) available in the lottery every year. Take the free test NOW!
Immigration News
March 3, 2009
Can Obama afford to ignore immigration?March 1, 2009
Obtain a U.S. Green Card without any form of sponsorshipFebruary 25, 2009
Anger Grows in India over U.S. H-1B Visa RulesFebruary 20, 2009
Obama: Immigration reform is comingFebruary 19, 2009
Immigration reform advocates push forward in tough economyFebruary 16, 2009
H-1B Visa Fraud Sparks Arrests NationwideFebruary 15, 2009
US stimulus bill to hit Indians, H1-B visa holders hardFebruary 11, 2009
US recession has slowed illegal border crossings from MexicoFebruary 9, 2009
Obama administration postpones employment regulationFebruary 5, 2009
Stricter US Visa Rules May Hit Indian IT FirmsFebruary 3, 2009
Will the Obama Administration Impact Immigration?February 01, 2009
Shoudl Illegal immigrants without Social Security numbers get stimulus payments?January 28, 2009
Will illegal immigrants take the stimulus jobs?January 26, 2009
More immigration will test U.S. economy, unityJanuary 22, 2009
Obama and increases in US legal immigrationJanuary 19, 2009
Downturn effect: Britain to shut doors to foreign workersJanuary 16, 2009
Few special immigration visas issuedJanuary 15, 2009
Napolitano Says Fixing Immigration System a PriorityJanuary 7, 2009
New US Visit Visa requirements to go into placeJanuary 7, 2009
Obama and US immigration ReformDecember 17, 2008
US opens four new immigration facilities in FloridaNovember 27, 2008
Renewed hope for US retirement visaNovember 11, 2008
Less than a month to enter the DV2010 Green Card LotteryOctober 8, 2008
Results from DV-2009 green card lottery