It’s not as ceremonial as the changing of the guard in London, but on Dec. 1, Mexico will see a changing of its leadership. Felipe Calderon will become the new head of state, starting a six-year term. One month later in Washington, D.C., a similar ritual will take place. Democrats will take over as the majority party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The question is whether the new blood will bring about a change in the way both countries deal with the immigration issue.
Mexico’s Vicente Fox is leaving the presidency with a high approval rating, but without having accomplished the main goal of his administration: an immigration accord with the United States. Instead of making it easier for Mexican nationals to cross the border with temporary-worker permits, the U.S. voted to build a wall to keep them out. Instead of opening the door to legalization for undocumented workers, deportations have increased, and cities across the country are not only trying to keep immigrants from working but also from renting housing. It can’t get any worse.
Just like Fox, Mexico’s incoming president has denounced the infamous wall as deplorable and divisive. But Calderon’s approach toward settling the immigration problem differs from that of his predecessor. “It is easier to reduce migration of Mexican nationals with 1 kilometer of roads in the states of Zacatecas or Michoacan rather than 10 kilometers of wall in Texas or Arizona,” he said during his visit to Washington a couple of weeks ago. It is jobs in Mexico that will keep Mexicans from crossing the border, not physical barriers that psychologically divide a country and international public opinion.
Calderon will not be asking the U.S. Congress to approve an amnesty bill. He will be asking for help with the economic development of his country. He will be promoting an increase in exports and investments to help create more jobs. In fact, job creation will be the pillar of his economic agenda.
On this side of the border, immigration is expected to make a strong comeback. Although the issue was not part of the campaign agenda set forth by Democrats before the midterm election, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona says it will be a priority for the new Congress. “It’s a complicated issue, and Democrats wanted to wait until they were able to take over before pushing for it,” said Cardona.
While it is still not at the top of his priority list, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who will become the new vice-chair for the Democratic Caucus, said that he expects to have a comprehensive immigration bill ready in six months. Before that, his party will be focusing on increasing the minimum wage, lowering drug costs for senior citizens and making college more affordable for students. Then, he claimed, they will start working on a bipartisan immigration bill using the Kennedy/McCain formula as a base, and will try to persuade some of the more moderate Republicans to join in and, finally, see if the White House will still support it.
Like Senate Bill S.2611, the new proposal is likely to include a guest-worker program and a road to legalization -- as opposed to the much stricter security-only approach that has been taken up to now. It is evident that legislators across the country underestimated what voters wanted during the last election. Many of those who based their campaign on an anti-immigrant platform ended up out of office.
According to a new poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, the majority of Americans want to stem the flow of illegal immigration, but seven out of 10 voters think that undocumented immigrants should be incorporated into a temporary-worker program and should have access to earned citizenship. It’s no wonder Republicans named Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla. -- a supporter of comprehensive immigration reform -- as the new head of their party.
The essence of the immigration debate might not change. It is likely to continue to be a polarizing issue. But new blood and a new approach on both sides of the border might get us closer to a realistic, fair and humane solution to the problem.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER’S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at wwwmariaesalinas.com)