It's only getting worse

Recent news:
US Citizen Illegally Deported from Jail Is Missing in Mexico
Database Is Tool in Deporting Fugitives
Raids in New Haven
Hajbeh celebrates freedom after 4 years of immigration detention
Paris Hilton Moved Back to Original Jail

I don’t want to say that undocumented immigrants should not be deported (under current law). Enforcement of our laws a basic necessity that allows our country to be as safe and prosperous as it is today. But when raids do not happen until now, as a backlash scare tactic more than any security effort, entire families are detained, and the deportation craze causes a US citizen to be wrongfully deported, that’s wrong.

I’m really proud that some state and local officials are standing up to the federal ridiculousness. New Haven, for example, has decided to issue ID cards for illegal immigrants that will provide them with at least some sort of documentation. Mayor Potter spoke out against raids in Portland, Oregon, saying that "Immigrants provide more than mere labor in our community. They have long enriched our history, our culture and our city." He also stressed that "In this morning's raid, no Portland police officers participated.”

As Montgomery police Chief J. Thomas Manger put it, "It's very important for the local police department to develop strong relationships with the community…That trust is being jeopardized."

When comprehensive immigration reform fails at the national level, and local authorities are being forced to break trust within their communities, a serious conflict of interest arises. This is one thing I’ve noticed working on the Hill: members of Congress are really removed from their constituents. They are making profound changes to our laws while living away from their constituent bases, and relying on a team of staffers who are so busy that they spend 12 hours a day in the same building. Thankfully, they get phone calls and emails from constituents, but they tend to be the usual crowd. In the immigration debate, anti-immigration constituents have been the loudest, while public polls show that most are in favor of things like legalization.

There’s been a lot of criticism of the legislative process, so I won’t get into that. But it looks like the Senate is giving comprehensive immigration reform another shot this year. They say a deal was just struck in the Senate, and that bill S. 1348 has been revived. We may see passage very soon, after which the House has its shot at it.

Many had been saying that if Republicans agreed to move the bill forward, Democrats would have to make more compromises. Well, there have already been plenty. S. 1348 is only going to look worse and worse, so it’s probably best to just give up now. And yet it’s so hard to let go of comprehensive immigration reform for good for at least a few years. People are hoping that amendments will be passed, that the House will fix the bill, that if we re-state our core values of human rights and family unity, that the Senate will finally listen. But when does hope start hurting us?