Hopeful but Ultimately Disappointing Year
2010 was a hopeful but ultimately disappointing year for advocates of immigration reform. The proposed DREAM act, which would have granted permanent resident status to illegal immigrants who graduated from American high schools and either went on to college or joined the military, was blocked by a senate filibuster on December 18th, 2010. It was truly a blow to supporters of pro-immigration legislation nationwide. Now, the U.S. finds itself at the beginning of a new session of congress and many are wondering: what is the outlook for new immigration legislation? Unfortunately for reformers, there is very little to be hopeful about.

What is the Outlook for New Immigration Legislation?
First of all, lawmakers today find themselves in power at a time when an economic recession, a runaway national debt, high unemployment, and a near decade-long war with little public support continue unabated with little sign of slowing down, let alone turning around. Simply put, legislators have bigger fish to fry than immigration, possibly dooming any immigration reform to a state of stagnation. However, many lawmakers and citizens equate an economic downturn with immigrants, many blaming immigrants for the lack of jobs or accusing them of leeching off of much-needed and over-strained social welfare programs, giving our congressmen and women some motivation to turn their attention towards issues of immigration. Though these kinds of sentiments, historically, tend to favor anti-immigration reform over pro-immigration reform. Couple that with the fact that last year's mid-term elections were (at least in the House of Representatives) a landslide victory for the Republican Party and outlook for immigration legislation during the 2011-2012 session seems to be getting worse and worse all the time. If the parties were polarized on issues of immigration, Republicans would be notoriously anti-immigration. This session's Chair of the Judiciary Committee (and consequently the de facto chair for all House committees), Rep. Lamar Smith, is no stranger to problems with immigration. He is not only a Republican but he's a Republican from Texas, an immigration battleground state. His 2010 election platform included a focus on "border security," both in terms of increasing vigilance along the borders and the continued enforcement of immigration laws. In a statement about his priorities for immigration issues, Smith said, "The House Judiciary Committee should enact policies that will better secure our borders and discourage illegal immigration" and "Texans also should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for scarce jobs." He then goes on to cite statistics that, in Texas, one million citizens and legal immigrants are looking for work and approximately one million illegal immigrants are also looking for jobs. Smith is a vocal supporter of mandatory resident status for employers and an end to birthright U.S. citizenship and even opposes an increase in legal immigration. And Smith's views are shared by another powerful member of the House, vice-chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Rep. Steve King (R-IO).

Glimmers of Light
There are glimmers of light for immigration reformists and the outlook for immigration legislation in the 2011-2012 session is not completely hopeless. One of the major issues being considered, birthright citizenship -the law that gives children born on U.S. soil automatic citizenship regardless of their parents' status- is rooted in the 14th amendment. It will take amending the constitution to reverse this law and most analysts agree that this is highly unlikely. Also, though both aforementioned members of the House stand on the other side of the aisle of pro-immigration reform, some aspects of their voting record show that they are not completely hard-nosed on the topic.