Don't Sound The Alarm Too Quickly

Because health care reform has hit a speed bumb (an understatement, to be sure), President Obama has explicitly stated that immigration reform won't be taken up until early next year. However, in what I hope will assuage the fears of fellow DREAMies, Obama's statement doesn't necessarily mean that nothing will be done in the interim. As we know, there is much to be done before the start of the formal debate. Obama has tasked Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the DHS with a lot of the preliminary work, and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has pledged to have a draft bill ready within the next few weeks.






Understandably, Obama's statement has caused much frustration within the DREAM universe. Nevertheless, his statement changes very little in the discourse. Greg Siskind has recently commented that an early 2010 target date for reform was already the most realistic scenario, nowithstanding the fact that 2010 is an election year.

To my fellow DREAMies:

I can understand your frustration, and it is certainly an emotion that I share. But before we drive ourselves crazy, it's best to step back and take stock of the situation. Despite Obama's seemingly empty rhetoric and the continued presence of the loud, extremist xenophobic bloc in the debate, 2009-10 is our best chance since CIR 2006 for reform. Many are in agreement that if Congress cannot enact immigration reform now, it may not be enacted for another generation. Moreover, key GOP senators, namely Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) have publically expressed their willingness to move forward with immigration. And while we can't be sure if Cornyn's statement was made in good faith, it is better than nothing at this point.