Immigration Overhaul Set for 2010

Don’t worry: We figure Lou Dobbs will be back on the air somewhere by then. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the Obama administration will push for a path to citizenship to some 12 million illegal immigrants as early as next year. Napolitano said she feared another wave of illegal immigration once the economy improves and therefore promised a “tough and fair pathway to earned legal status,” the New York Times reports, including stricter enforcement laws against illegal immigrants and their employers and a streamlining of the legal immigration system. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) will introduce the bill in December. Predicting a big battle ahead, Gutierrez disagreed with Napolitano’s claim that increased enforcement has improved the chances of a comprehensive overhaul. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) believe they can get 60 votes for the bill.