Guest Post by Robert Gittelson: A New Year’s Message of Optimism: Even Conservatives are Coalescing Toward a Comprehensive Immigration Reform Solution

For the past several years, I have made it a personal tradition to write a message of hope around the New Year, calling on Congress to pass a very much needed comprehensive immigration reform. For example, a few years ago, I wrote an article titled, “A New Year’s Message of Compassion: Moral Arguments are Part and Parcel of Our Immigration Debate.” I ended that article with the phrase, “It is a moral imperative for us to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Financial concerns show us why we should pass this much needed reform, but compassion, forgiveness, and understanding show us why we must.” It seems that the more that things have changed over the years, on this issue at least, the more that things have stayed the same. However, I do believe that things might just be ready to change starting in 2012.

Specifically, I have faith that Congress will take up the DREAM Act in 2012. Over the past couple of years, I have been going to Washington once or twice a month to meet with members of Congress, and their staffs. All year, I have been discussing with them the importance of passing the DREAM Act, or at least a version of the DREAM Act that will help hundreds of thousands of hard working, high achieving, and innocent young men and women to emerge from the shadows, and to live their lives in dignity and legality, in the light of day.

Importantly, I have been meeting primarily with Republicans, and quietly but sincerely, many of them have been listening. It is still too early for me to say publicly exactly what will happen or when, but I am convinced that something positive will indeed happen, and soon. I can say that things have progressed to the point where both parties are talking seriously about how we can address the DREAM Act in a bipartisan manner, and that their negotiations have been going rather well. There is cause for optimism – guarded optimism – but optimism just the same.

I would offer a word or two of caution. If a bipartisan version of the DREAM Act were to emerge in this Congress, it will be truly bipartisan. In other words, it would be different from the current version of the DREAM Act that we have become accustomed to seeing. I don’t want to say exactly what the differences would be, because it is too early to say exactly how the bill would change from its current form. I can only say at this point that there will be some differences. The fact is that for any bill to pass on a bipartisan basis, it will move slightly to the right – it will be somewhat more conservative. However, the versions that I have seen, and have discussed in some detail, would at least solve the problem. It would allow the young men and women that can qualify under the terms of this new DREAM Act to live and work legally.

I would also offer my guarded optimism about a possible comprehensive immigration reform in the not too distant future. While I do not expect to see a CIR pass in 2012, I do see that Congress is, quietly but sincerely, moving in that direction. Again, there remains a long way to go, and the fact that 2012 is an election year makes any serious discussion of CIR a topic that can probably only be addressed after the election. But I do note that many recent polls, including a poll by FOX News, does show that the American public – including a solid majority of Republicans – are unquestionably in favor of a CIR solution to our immigration crisis.

On a personal note, the group that I am associated with, (I am the Co-Founder of Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform), remains committed to working toward the DREAM Act, and especially Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Our coalition includes several very prominent conservatives. Some of us, such as myself, are from the business community. However, the vast majority of our coalition is from the faith community, including leaders from the National Association of Evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Together we have been working hard to convince conservatives that our country needs, and is ready to accept a comprehensive solution to this crisis. I sincerely believe that the efforts of our group, along with the efforts of many other groups, are starting to show some results. The FOX poll is tangible proof that our Nation’s public opinion on this issue has moved firmly toward the positive. Importantly, I can see from my continuing meetings in DC that many conservatives “get it.” Therefore, I believe that there exists cause for optimism for advocates of immigration reform. Many conservatives are moving cautiously in the direction of a CIR solution. There exists in this country, and importantly in our Congress, an emerging consensus that we must address the inequities that are inherent in our current and outdated immigration policies. However, we will still need time for the politics in this country to catch up to the policy. Again, I urge patience. However, I am reasonably certain that our patience on this issue will soon pay off. 2012 should be the year in which we see the beginnings of movement toward a more just and efficient immigration policy.