Does Rahm Emanuel's Latest Interview Point to a New Politics of Immigration?

Posted by Paco Fabian, America's Voice at 8:59 AM on February 8, 2009.

A few days ago, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel did an interview that is the latest major signpost pointing the way toward a New Day for the politics of immigration in our country.

During an interview with Hispanic media last week, Rahm Emanuel joined a growing throng of strategists and leaders from both parties that acknowledge that leaning into immigration reform is not just good policy, but also good politics.

Emanuel noted (translation from Spanish is ours):

"The arrow is pointing in a different direction in relation to immigration politics in this country."

As an example of the importance the new Administration has placed on these issues, Emanuel cited the White House's commitment to including legal immigrants in the Children's Health Insurance Program (known as SCHIP).  Virtually every Democrat in the House and Senate joined with some Republicans, including Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), to include legal immigrant children in the legislation. 

America's Voice was one of the organizations that hailed the Administration and Congress' work on SCHIP, and we agree that it as a good sign for the battle ahead: passing real, comprehensive immigration reform.  And while Rahm Emanuel's comments on the timing of comprehensive immigration legislation during the interview were decidedly vague, they made one thing clear: the 2008 Election was a game-changer.

According to many experts, the 2008 election results and extensive public opinion research show that a sensible immigration reform position is a political winner, rather than the potent wedge issue that many Congressional candidates once believed in  -- and that some Republicans in Congress still cling to.

Rahm Emanuel's public acknowledgment of this new consensus is hugely consequential, and a 180-degree change from his previous position as Illinois Congressman and Party Leader. This is especially important given his role, as White House Chief of Staff, in shaping conventional wisdom inside Congress.

The signs of the times are pointing toward real immigration reform happening, and soon.

We're ready to see that it does.

Tagged as: politics, immigration, rahm emanuel, reform, immigration reform, rahm