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Scan Your Hand If You Support Immigration Reform

Yesterday, President Obama held three meetings on comprehensive immigration reform; one with immigration advocates, another with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a third with Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who are currently working on drafting reform legislation. For advocates, the meeting was an opportunity to convey growing frustration with the Administration's unfulfilled promises to rework our unworkable immigration system this year.

For Schumer and Graham, the task of the afternoon was to discuss their outline of a bipartisan reform agreement. According to the Los Angeles Times, the proposal includes increased border security measures and a legalization plan for currently undocumented immigrants, including those with current deportation orders.

At the center of the Senator's overhaul plan is a national worker ID card--all legal US workers would receive the card embedded with their own biometric information, either fingerprints or a scan of their hand's veins. Schumer on the ID plan, from the Wall Street Journal:

'It's the nub of solving the immigration dilemma politically speaking," Mr. Schumer said in an interview. The card, he said, would directly answer concerns that after legislation is signed, another wave of illegal immigrants would arrive. 'If you say they can't get a job when they come here, you'll stop it.'

After this proposal came out last week, everyone from the ACLU to FOX News denounced the idea as costly and invasive. And I doubt this new, untested policy measure will solve what is really the chief political dilemma for immigration reform--the almost complete lack of bipartisan support in the Senate.

In yesterday's meeting, Schumer asked for help from Obama on this very issue. Obama reportedly pledged to do more to win Republican support, but let's not hold our breaths. Strange new policies aside, the politics of immigration reform will almost certainly derail comprehensive action in this election year.

In a statement following yesterday's meetings, Obama said: "I told both the Senators and the community leaders that my commitment to comprehensive immigration reform is unwavering, and that I will continue to be their partner in this important effort." Translation: Obama will not be a leader on immigration reform. Will his partnership be enough?

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Posted at 5:32 PM, Mar 12, 2010 in
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