Democrats face crucial immigration test

Gebe Martinez says Congress is unlikely to pass immigration reform by December.

POLITICO.com
By GEBE MARTINEZ
6/17/09 10:49 AM EDT

After twice postponing a highly anticipated meeting between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders on immigration reform, the White House is under increasing pressure to get legislation done this year.

Winning congressional approval of an immigration measure by December is a steep climb, with the economy, health care and energy higher on the president’s agenda. So far, Obama has promised only to begin the discussion at the summit set for next week.

But if the president does not move quickly, he will suffer the same fate as his predecessor, President George W. Bush, who left office acknowledging that failure to overhaul immigration laws was a top personal disappointment.

Bush promised reform but wasted political capital on other matters. When he finally turned to immigration, the GOP was deeply divided, and Hispanic voters — angered by conservatives’ nasty tone — rejected Republicans at the polls in 2006 and 2008.

Similarly, Obama now must answer not if but when immigration will be done. To succeed, he has to enlist the support of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a past champion of comprehensive immigration legislation, at least nine other Republicans in the Senate and a couple of dozen more in the House.

Hesitation could slow the momentum that immigration, faith, labor and business groups have been building since 2007, when Congress failed to pass a bill that combined stricter border control, tougher penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants and earned legalization for undocumented immigrants.

This time, enforcement-only hard-liners are being countered by a national campaign, Reform Immigration for America, which recently brought 700 citizen lobbyists to Capitol Hill.

Employers and trade associations that rely on immigrant workers in 25 states also have formed ImmigrationWorks USA. “What was missing before from the debate was a center-right base in favor of reform,â€