President Obama’s latest statement on immigration at his State of the Union address on January 27, 2010

President Obama said the following on January 27, 2010: “And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system – to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nations. In the end, it is our ideals, our values that built America – values that allowed us to forge a nation made up of immigrants from every corner of the globe; values that drive our citizens still.”

I find it interesting that the initial mandate is to “secure our borders.” U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has always received the lion share of any money allocated to immigration. This statement, therefore, is in line with policies followed by previous administrations.

President Obama has acknowledged the flaws by calling this a “broken immigration system.” But, when will we witness congressional debates on this issue? Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was rumored to introduce and hold hearings on a major immigration bill in the fall of 2009. What happened? I can think of several big ticket items that have derailed immigration reform: the economy, wars in Iraq/Afghanistan, and a lively debate over health care reform. Congressional elections will also take place on November 2, 2010. These elections will also play a big role in the timing and strategy involved in any debates over proposed immigration reform.