WASHINGTON — Even as the numbers of illegal immigrants entering the United States plunges and the Obama administration steps up enforcement of the immigration laws, comprehensive immigration reform that would provide a path to legalization for some undocumented immigrants already living here is in peril.
As University of California-Davis law professor Kevin Johnson writes in a post on Concurring Opinions, despite President Obama’s longstanding support for reform before he became president, the issue has been eclipsed in this administration by the troubled economy and health care reform, which now dominate the legislative agenda. Putting immigration reform off until next next year, though, could destroy its chances, though, because as Johnson notes, “next year is an election year in Congress” and “Enacting legislation on a contentious issue that touches on volatile issues of race and class, seems unlikely in an election year” — particularly during an economic recession.
Read more at The Colorado Independent’s sister site in the nation’s capital, The Washington Independent.
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