Burning Atlanta

My sister was nice enough to send me a link to this article and it's a great read.

Eye opening

WASHINGTON - While illegal-immigrant advocates and hard-liners warn that Congress' repeated failure to pass immigration law could have dire consequences for the economy, one industry is profiting handsomely from the political gridlock.

Since 2004, lobbyists on K Street have raked in more than $8 million from companies and trade organizations seeking help bending Congress members' ears on immigration issues.

The number of firms seeking help from former Capitol Hill and White House insiders has nearly doubled in the same time, and spending has soared to $2.5 million for the first six months of this year alone.

"The immigration issue is proving to be a big moneymaker for lobbyists," said Massie Ritsch, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group.

But analysts note that an issue rarely captures the attention of so many varied interest groups as the fight over legalization has done.

A backburner issue in Washington before 9-11, immigration has become one of the hottest policy fights in the country.

According to lobbying records compiled by Congressional Quarterly, 57 companies and trade organizations hired outside lobbyists to work primarily on immigration issues last year - up from 38 in 2005 and just 16 in 2004.

Contractors and restaurant and farm industry groups that want to increase the number of low-skilled worker visas and give the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants some form of legal status make up the greatest number of trade groups lobbying on the issue.

So far, however, the millions of dollars spent by corporate America on immigration has yielded few results. The most recent attempt at comprehensive immigration reform went down in flames earlier this year after opponents bombarded members of Congress with faxes, e-mails and phone calls.