Napolitano Signals Reform to Come in First Major Discussion of Immigration

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s speech last week at the Center for American Progress (CAP) will probably be remembered as a key moment in the history of immigration reform. The Secretary didn’t just express support for a comprehensive overhaul of our immigration system; she made it clear that it was an imperative for the ultimate security of the United States.

The Secretary said “at the Department of Homeland Security, we need reform to do our job of enforcing the law and keeping our country secure. Over the past ten months, we’ve worked to improve immigration enforcement and border security within the current legal framework. But the more work we do, the more it becomes clear that the laws themselves need to be reformed.”

This marks a major shift in attitude from the early days of DHS when deportation rather than integration was viewed as the primary method for solving our immigration crisis. It also marks a shift in how DHS will help to shape the next go-around of immigration reform. The DHS of 2007 looked at immigration reform solely through a national security lens, and in the process promoted “reform” that would have crippled our immigration process. The DHS of 2009 however, wants immigration reform that capitalizes on our history as a nation of immigrants.

The Secretary’s speech touted many of DHS’s improved enforcement measure that will undoubtedly be criticized as too little or too much. But she also picked up on an essential point of the 2007 debate - many opponents of reform argued that it couldn’t be done until the border was better reinforced or until DHS was better at processing applications. Her list of accomplishments may not be perfect but it is hard to claim there hasn’t been significant movement.