Is Obama WII on Immigration?

The New York Times reports that the Obama administration is being pilloried by immigrant advocacy groups for continuing immigration policies used by the George W. Bush administration. In response, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano says that immigration authorities have backed away from the Bush administration’s mass factory roundups of illegal immigrant workers in favor of audits of employee paperwork at hundreds of businesses across the country. Federal criminal prosecutions for immigration violations have actually increased this year, however.

The Obama administration is more nearly aligned with the position that Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain took during the 2008 campaign. At the time of the campaign, Obama said McCain’s approach would be too hard on Latino and immigrant communities. As we all know, it’s easier to be a candidate than President.

Obama administration officials argue that they are being tough on illegal immigrants in an effort to gain more buy-in for an immigration overhaul that will be introduced later this year. Since the proposed overhaul will probably give legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, it’s unlikely that the Obama administration’s quasi-tough stance at present will do anything to win the support of lawmakers or citizens who want immigration reform to make it harder on immigrants rather than easier.

Immigration is such a divisive issue for employers, employees and American citizens, it’s likely that the debate on an immigration overhaul will make the debate on health care reform look like a cakewalk. Both subjects desperately need reform, but battle lines that are perhaps impenetrable balkanize the political landscape.