August 25, 2006
Here we are at the end of August with next to nothing to show for the 30+ immigration hearings conducted by Congress in the past two months and the extensive Senate debate earlier this year. Congress returns to Washington for one month before taking October off to campaign for the November elections. Shortly thereafter we get into the end of year holidays. In short, don’t expect any major news before next spring. Absent a September shocker, immigration reform will almost certainly be put on hold for at least another four to six months. That being said, I also believe that the November elections will be extremely important for future reform efforts. Many Republican and some Democrat candidates are running on platforms of restrictionism. If these candidates are successful, immigration reform will become even more difficult in the next Congress. A resounding defeat of restrictionist candidates, however, will push lawmakers to a more reasonable approach on the immigration issue.
