New Faces, New Hope

By NiallO’Dowd

“REP. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, told an estimated crowd of 1,000 at a town hall meeting Saturday that she at the urging of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would work to pass a comprehensive immigration law by the end of the year.”

San Jose Mercury News, Sunday, February 25

On the eve of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) lobby day in Washington on March 7, it is clear that there is now real hope that immigration reform can happen.

Lofgren is the kind of new legislator who has brought a fresh dose of energy and commitment to the entire issue. The San Jose, California congresswoman is a former immigration attorney which gives her a huge advantage when it comes to weighing up the challenges that a new and comprehensive immigration law represents.

Lofgren is the head of the subcommittee on immigration in the House, a vital role that means any new immigration reform legislation will begin with her.

So far, she has been very positive on the potential for change. It is a marked change from the old House which was run by the Republicans, who blocked every attempt at immigration reform as if it represented a form of the plague.

The new broom that swept through Congress in November also swept away many of the anti-immigrant nativists on the Republican side who had made immigration reform an impossible challenge. Now the landscape looks remarkably different.

In that respect, Pelosi appears to have made a clear commitment to seek change and to bring about immigration reform. While she has not been definitive on the issue it is safe to say that Lofgren, who is carrying the responsibility in the House, is clearly taking her cue from the speaker and going forward with a legislative plan.

Lofgren is just one of the new faces who will play critical roles in the 2007 version of the immigration reform battle.

In the era of the 1980s the Irish lobby back then found an unlikely champion for immigration reform in Congressman Bruce Morrison of Connecticut, who had not previously been identified as a supporter on the issue.

Perhaps Lofgren is this year’s Morrison. If she is then she can expect the wholehearted support of the 4,000 or so Irish who will go to Washington on March 7, not to mention hundreds of thousands of Irish nationwide who are following this debate.

While it is hugely positive that Democrats are now in charge in both the House and the Senate, the bill may well come down to how much political clout President George W. Bush will bring to the table when the bill is up for passage.

The Democrats have made clear they will not pursue reform without a significant number of Republicans in both the House and the Senate supporting them.

That certainly seems to the case in the Senate, where Senator John McCain has been a tower of strength. In the House the outcome is less certain.

However, a concerted effort by the president could play a huge role in getting immigration reform passed. It may well fall to him to swing key Republican waverers to the side of immigration reform as this issue goes down to the wire.

If he succeeds he will have the undying gratitude of the Irish community, as well as a hugely significant domestic policy victory which has eluded his administration so far.

But we get ahead of ourselves. First the Irish need to show their clout on Capitol Hill on March 7, and then the battle royal is set to begin. Thanks to legislators such as Lofgren the chances are good we can get a different result to 2006.