Immigration Impact of the 2004 Election
Posted Nov 05, 2004
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Now that the 2004 election is over, it is time to start assessing what impact the outcome will have on immigration. Since the incumbent president, George W. Bush, won the 2004 U.S. presidential election, it is unlikely there will be many personnel changes at the top of U.S. agencies, such as the USCIS, ICE, CBP, or the Department of Labor in the coming months. Typically, when a new president is elected new senior staff is also brought in for these positions. However, when the incumbent wins, changes in staff do not necessarily occur. When there is no change in agency leadership, it is not likely pending regulations will be revisited by the agencies. The potential for continuity in these positions should also mean that the administration will have its staff in place to keep its backlog reduction promises, streamline the labor certification process, and find better means to ensure security without excessive security-check delays. We at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C. will continue to monitor these important issues for MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers.
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The impact of the results of the congressional races on immigration issues remains unclear. In January 2005, some members of Congress will leave and be replaced by those voted in on November 2, 2004. We will assess whether the new makeup of Congress is likely to mean that pro-immigration measures will be passed or defeated. It is still possible that Congress will meet again to vote on bills between now and when the new Congress takes office. If this occurs, immigration bills may be considered by the current Congress. Therefore, it is still important to contact current congressional members to ask for their support on pro-immigration items, such as an elimination of the H1B and H2B caps and passage of the DREAM Act, even if that congressional member will be stepping down in January.