America receives more immigrants than any other country. But its system for dealing with them is a model of dys-functionality, with 11.9m illegally present in 2008, up 42% since 2000. Past efforts at reform have failed dismally. In 2006 protesters filled city streets after the House of Representatives passed a bill making illegal immigration a felony; but the proposal failed to pass muster in the Senate. The Senate's own effort in 2007 fared even worse. Police clashed with a crowd in Los Angeles. Opponents of reform barraged senators with so many calls that their phone system crashed. The Senate's bill, designed to please all sides, ended up pleasing no one.rnNow Washington may try again. With a wretched economy and long to-do list, it hardly seems an opportune moment. Yet on April 14th America's two biggest unions, including one that helped block reform in 2007, unveiled a plan to push it forward. Luis Gutierrez, a congressman from Chicago, has visited 17 cities to build momentum for reform. A coalition of advocacy groups is planning an $18m campaign to make immigration a priority. Several big cities will hold rallies on May 1st.
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