Immigration reform: On or off the table?

Will immigration reform be on the plate this year?

John McCormick raises an interesting point in the Weekly Standard:

Harry Reid pledged that Congress would take up an immigration reform bill by the end of this year, but Ed Morrissey points out that the White House is trying to squelch any expectations that an immigration bill will come up soon, with health care and cap and trade dominating his domestic agenda.

As the recession has reduced the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States, the issue hasn't been in the news much. Immigration groups, however, are still clamoring for Obama to follow through on his pledge to change the law. One of the more interesting proposals, as Morrissey notes, is the Red Card Solution being promoted by Helen Kreible. The plan, which has earned praise from Newt Gingrich and Mike Pence, would set up private firms, funded by employers of guest workers, south of the border that would match up workers with employers in the United States. While the plan would help create an equilibrium between the supply and demand of foreign labor, I doubt that the federal government would allow private firms to be responsible for security background checks on prospective workers, as the video pitch for the Red Card Solution suggests.

But Ed Morrissey points out in Hot Air that the president is watching a different channel.

Barack Obama claimed that immigration reform would remain at the top of his priorities for this year, but this expiration date lasted less than a day. Roll Call confirms that the White House will drop immigration this year, consumed by its efforts to do damage control on the health-care and cap-and-trade fiascos falling apart on Capitol Hill:

The White House on Monday acknowledged that immigration reform is unlikely to move in Congress this year.

"I can see the president's desire for it to happen but understanding that currently where we sit the math makes that real difficult," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Obama will meet with a bipartisan group of lawmakers Thursday to discuss the issue at the White House.

But that meeting itself is in disarray as well, with people wondering whether they have invitations to the oft-delayed conference:

Backers of comprehensive immigration reform are gearing up for their first big meeting with President Barack Obama on Thursday, although it remains to be seen who will be attending and what will come of the bipartisan huddle.

Obama is hosting a small group of House and Senate lawmakers to begin discussions on the issue. Like Congressional leaders, Obama has signaled a desire to address the politically volatile issue but has given little detail on when or how to do so.

Details of the meeting remain hazy. Key lawmakers still don't know if they are invited or what to expect from the gathering.

Just expect some hope & change, baby!

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