President-elect Obama and Immigration Policy

As the dust from the election starts to settle, we have started receiving inquiries about the changes in immigration policy which may be expected from the new Obama-Biden administration.

During the pre-election campaign season, the attention spent on immigration policy was close to zero.  Amid the financial crisis, Iraq and other domestic and foreign policy issues, immigration policy seems to have been put on the side.  Unfortunately, we do not expect immigration reform to be a priority of the Obama administration so a comprehensive immigration reform is highly unlikely, at least for the first years of the presidency.   However, we do expect some improvements in the efficiency of the processing systems and procedures.  Obama has promised to introduce a fair amount of the technology and efficiency of his campaign to the government.

Here are Obama’s campaign promises on immigration, according to the his campaign:

Create Secure Borders.  Obama and Biden want to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

Improve Our Immigration System.  Obama and Biden believe we must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.

Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally.  Obama and Biden will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

Bring People Out of the Shadows.  Obama and Biden support a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.

Work with Mexico.  Obama and Biden believe we need to do more to promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration.