Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Whispers of Immigration Reform

Over the last week there have been stirrings across the country that perhaps immigration reform is finally at hand. Senator Harry Reid has promised reform as a legislative priority for 2010, and Democrats are paying attention to the fact that Latinos are starting to cool toward them--a sure sign that something needs to be done.

My hope is that Reid and his colleagues will consider something small and reasonable to start. My opinion is that modest reform is better than none at all. The DREAM Act would be a good place to start. After all, who can legitimately argue against legalizing children who were brought to the U.S. by their parents and want to go to college?

I often ponder the risks and benefits of attempting all out reform. Would we have another health care debate (long, drawn out, tedious)? Or would this simply never get off the ground? I think it would be politically good for immigration reform supporters to force their opponents to take a public stand on their position.

No comments: