Immigration Reform Proceeding Well Behind The Scenes

Behind the scenes, talks are going surprisingly well on legislation to change the immigration laws, according to senior White House officials. "We're making progress," a key presidential adviser told U.S. News.

Leaders from all three sides -- the administration, congressional Democrats, and congressional Republicans -- feel the need to get a bill passed soon, before political divisions make compromise impossible in the 2008 election campaigns.

As a result, momentum appears to be building to chalk up a legislative victory on immigration this year, the adviser says. The talks have a long way to go, but insiders say a helpful development was passage of legislation strengthening border security last year.

Taking that step has deterred some people from crossing the border unlawfully -- easing, at least a bit, conservative objections to more comprehensive proposals to create a new guest worker program and provide a "path to citizenship" for illegal workers, which is what President Bush favors.

One negotiator expressed pleasant surprise that the harsh rhetoric that has surrounded the debate over the Iraq war has not spread to the immigration issue. When the immigration talks take place, the negotiators leave any hard feelings over Iraq at the door and focus on the matter at hand, White House officials say.

By Kenneth T. Walsh