 ith a strong Democrat majority in Congress and a hardline left-winger in the White House, Hispanic advocacy groups are gearing up to push a new amnesty for illegal aliens.
While they concede that their agenda could be put on hold while the new administration of Barack Obama, son of Kenyan immigrant, wrestles with pressing economic problems, mass immigration advocates are still confident they can accelerate the demographic transformation of the country.
"It's going to be a pretty crowded table," admitted Mary Giovagnoli, director of policy for the National Immigration Forum, which pushes for increased immigration under the guise of reform. "We're hopeful that there's space at the table for immigration reform."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, told reporters last month that President-elect Obama and left-wing Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, have both agreed to move on immigration legislation. Both are strong supporters of amnesty for the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens in the U.S.
"On immigration, there's been an agreement between Obama and McCain to move forward on that... We'll do that," said Reid. "We've got McCain [on our side] and we've got a few others [Republicans]. I don't expect much of a fight at all."
Katherine Vargas, spokeswoman for the National Immigation Forum, is sure Obama will move on the issue soon.
"We are very confident that immigration reform will move in the next year or so. We expect him to keep his promise."
Rep. Joe Baca, D-CA, outgoing chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, is confident that Obama's new chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, will help push for amnesty for illegals during Obama's first term.
"I think it will happen," he told an interviewer for Press Enterprise newspaper in Riverside, California. Baca told reporter Ben Gold that Emanuel assured him that Obama will make immigration a top priority.
Emanuel had once described immigration as "the third rail of American politics," meaning that anyone who touched it would get shocked, because it is a volatile issue, particularly among white male voters.
But Emanuel shifted his thinking since the election, because Hispanics voted overwhelmingly for Obama who was able to win without garnering a majority of white votes.
The left's strategists will now take aim at the 2012 and 2016 elections with an eye on increasing the strength of their base, which comprises the Hispanic population. A study by the Immigration Policy Center found that 61 percent of Hispanic voters think immigration legislation should be a priority.
Vargas of the Immigration Forum said she thinks Emanuel will make a political decision to help push the legislation.
Rahm Emanuel is a master political strategist," she said. "He can do the math."
Non-Hispanic immigration advocates also expect action on the demographic front from the Obama administration.
"Immigrants are affected by the economy, the war... but immigration reform is a defining issue," said Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. He said the Democrats should "use the power of the new majority to really deliver on this issue."
Immigration legislation may not be easy to assemble in a simple package, however. Lawmakers have proposed a variety of differing measures, including some increased border security, expanding guest worker programs by varying amounts, allowing illegals to apply for citizenship in different ways, Social Security benefits for illegals, and other issues.
"This is a very, very difficult, highly charged issue," warned Donald Kerwin of the Migration Policy Institute. "We will see a lot of rifts within the Democrat Party. I don't think it's going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination."
Robert Goldsborough, president of Americans for Immigration Control, said his group will remain alert to fight against passage of any legislation that contains amnesty.
"There's no doubt the amnesty forces are stronger this year than they were two years ago when we defeated them," he said. "But that just means we will have to redouble our efforts. The American people on our side on this," he said.
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