Speaker Denny Hastert claimed today that one million people are crossing the border each year illegally (not sure where he gets that number) and that lawmakers must first "heal the wound" and "stop the bleeding" (by which he presumably is referring to building a wall along the southern border). On the other hand, he knows there is no chance that an enforcement only measure will be introduced, voted on, much less passed into law before the election. (While our lawmakers will do nothing, the new President of Mexico has offered to help find sensible mechanisms for both countries to jointly solve this problem.)

When the White House and Senate Republicans joined with Senate Democrats to hammer out a compromise that addressed border security and legalization, millions filled the streets of cities across the country to protest the harsher House measure that would have made all undocumented aliens into felons. With all immigration measures dead, there is hardly anything left to rally about. As rally organizers implied, the best use of their energies would be to motivate the like-minded to consider the upcoming election as a referendum on this issue.

Unseating right-wing, anti-immigrant Republicans is the best hope for tens of millions of people in this country (including U.S. citizens and permanent residents) who hope to re-unite with their loved ones or obtain lawful status. Making Republicans pay for their do-nothing obstructionism and divisive meaningful, practical solution to the problem of immigration system that is profoundly broken.

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