With Health Care Bill Looking Shaky, What’s Left for Immigration Reform?

By • 1/21/10 • Categorized as Commentary,Immigration News,Immigration Reform

Senator-elect Scott Brown. (Photo: State Senator Scott Brown/Flickr)

Senator-elect Scott Brown. (Photo: State Senator Scott Brown/Flickr)

Republican Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts senate race is widely seen as a major blow to President Barack Obama’s hope of passing health care reform. Does this mean immigration reform –which has taken a back seat to health care since Obama took office a year ago— is dead?

Some activists who want to see it dead were celebrating after Brown won Tuesday’s special election. And some neutral observers were predicting its demise.

“Immigration reform is probably a goner,” wrote Martin Kady II on Politico.

“…this historic win may destroy the chances of amnesty for illegal aliens passing in 2010,” said Americans for Legal Immigration (ALIPAC).

“The Brown victory not only breaks the Democratic 60-vote hold on the U.S. Senate needed for cloture votes, but it sends a clear message that voters prefer pro-enforcement candidates instead of pro-amnesty candidates.” said William Gheen, president of ALIPAC. “We will be working hard to defeat the Amnesty legislation filed in Congress and to repeat the Brown-Coakley scenario in hundreds of races this November.”

“Pro-Enforcement, Anti-Amnesty Candidate Wins in Massachusetts,” read a headline on Right Side News.

“Brown has stated on his campaign website that the nation needs to better secure its borders and use a national workplace verification system to ensure that jobs go to American workers. He also opposes rewards to illegal aliens like driver’s licenses and in-state tuition.”

[ See Brown's campaign website ]

Some pro-reform activists tried to look at the bright side, according to IrishCentral’s Kelly Fincham:

Activists for the undocumented Irish were in poor spirits Wednesday in the wake of Republican Scott Brown‘s victory in Massachusetts.

However, as the polls closed last night, a seasoned immigration campaigner told me that immigration reform was by no means dead.

“We always knew we would need support from both sides of the Senate,” she said.

Progressive blogger Markos Moulitsas even proposed that immigration reform could be a winning card for the governing party:

“The issue is popular, the policy is sound and Democrats can seize the opportunity to deliver on at least one major campaign promise,” he wrote on The Hill.

But Jennifer Duffy, a nonpartisan analyst interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, noted that while the immigration overhaul proposal may not be dead yet, any bill would be “an uphill push” this election year.

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    • NO ILLEGALS

      Immigration reform is always a toxic issue. Obama would be wise to not even consider this as the majority of Americans are against any form of amnesty. Illegals are criminals who break multiple laws to remain here and should never be given a get out of jail free card. We already have plenty of immigration laws on the books so all the gov’t needs to do is enforce them. We should not be coddling and giving any benefits to illegals. We have too many Americans out of work and we should weed out illegals working frauduently and give those jobs to Americans. Immigration reform can only rile up Americans, which definitely does not bode well for Obama and Dumocrats

    • Illegal Reporter

      Obama would prove himself a fool if he tried any sort of reform that gives amnesty to illegals. The majority of the American people are strongly against this and will not tolerate it.

    • Beast

      Should Obama and the Dems try to pass come kind of amnesty, it would lead to a Republican onslaught in Congress and in 2012. With Brown winning in Mass, there is no chance for immigration reform, other than more enforcement, more E-Verify, more 287g, and more deportations.

    • Brittancus

      Other States need to follow the example of Arizona’s new harsh immigration enforcement laws, specially states that are on the verge of fiscal collapse.

      Around Washington their is a ominous quiet regarding the move towards Comprehensive Immigration Reform. But we should not take this lightly and specially be on watch not just the for laws being loosened in the House and Senate, but at the State and county levels. Take note that sanctuary states like California, New Mexico are not implementing Federal laws but are arrogant enough to dismiss them. Many State assemblies have made decisions that doesn’t recognize the interests of the 15 million Americans jobless, but are as-always pandering to Special Interest groups. States across this nation will continue to tangle with the issues such as providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens, requiring businesses to run new hires through E-Verify, the local police trained to arrest illegal aliens under the 287 (g) law, flash ICE raids on nonconforming businesses and implementing the REAL ID compliant drivers licensing among other enforcement issues. Indiana began work this week on a new bill that would require state and local government agencies to use E-Verify.

      Now is the time to make E-Verify a permanent, fully funded mandated operation for every business in America. NUMBERSUSA, a anti-illegal immigrant, pro-sovereignty organisation will be alerting their members in Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington in determining a number of local voting initiatives. Opponents including the devious ACORN, SEIU and even the AFL-CIO are mobilizing to promote AMNESTY for illegal aliens in different States. As this is not seen as Federal Immigration laws, State Liberal Assemblies could try to pass initiatives including In-State tuition, drivers licenses and other immigration issues. We all know that CALIFORNIA, carries the infamous stain of being the master SANCTUARY STATE, where the the governor is fighting a daily battle with almost bottomless financial crisis, caused impart by the pandering to illegal families. In the majority of cases there has been no restriction in hiring of illegal workers, free education for the children, free medical treatment in any hospital, welfare entitlements and the enormous taxpayer costs to incarcerate thousands of illegal foreign criminals. Many other states are teetering on the edge of dangerous fiscal collapse, because of the occupancy of 20 to 30 million impoverished illegal people who are being supported by taxpayers.

      IF DEMOCRATS GET THERE WAY THIS YEAR, THEY WILL FORCE UPON US ALL AN AMNESTY, THAT WILL COST ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNTS OF DOLLARS TO INITIATE? WE NEED REAL ENFORCEMENT AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SPEAK UP. Call the Washington Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asked for your Representatives. Also call your State Senator? GET INVOLVED AND LEARN THE TRUTH AND NOT OPEN BORDER PROPAGANDA AT NUMBERSUSA AND JUDICIAL WATCH. STOP UNSUSTAINABLE OVERPOPULATION IN OUR FUTURE.

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    • Ronald

      I am looking forward to reading a cost analysis on deporting 12 million plus immigrants. These people are not going away – that’s the reality. Not doing anything is tantamount to harvesting criminals who sooner or later will be showing up in your plush homes. Law enforcement people can verify this fact already.
      Bring thses people out of the woods, make them pay and contribute to the wellness of this country. The results will be amazing. All we need to do is be realistic and lets flash away the rhetoric.