In the past few days we have witnessed several key events that, taken together, imply that common sense may yet prevail in immigration policy.

First, there was the widely applauded but unexpected administrative action by President Obama halting automatic deportations of undocumented aliens for non-criminal activity, allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to focus their limited resources on those who represent an actual threat to the public.

This has not stopped the xenophobes on the far-right from screaming “amnesty” and otherwise overreacting to this sensible new mandate at DHS.

Then we recently learned that California may be on the verge of passing their own version of the DREAM Act.  Under Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, new legislation will give in-state tuition and financial aid to the children of illegal immigrants who completed at least three years of school in California.  And, as a sensible compromise to American citizen students, the California law will put Americans first in line for those that qualify for scholarships. Although it will affect an estimated 40,000 undocumented students, it will not solve the vexing problem of getting a job if they graduate.

Simultaneously, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez’s ongoing crusade to revoke drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants via a process of recertification was halted. U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Singleton in Santa Fe issued a temporary restraining order, ruling that a requirement to validate NM state residency amounted to discrimination against a single class of persons.

In Alabama, our nation’s most draconian anti-illegal immigrant law was, at least temporarily, put on hold. Alabama’s HB56 would require schools to verify citizenship, jail suspected illegals for any reason, and make it a crime for citizens to give rides, provide shelter, or rent to illegal immigrants -- essentially turning landlords into immigration agents. In this case, District Judge Sharon Blackburn said she needed until September 28 to deliberate on the facts of law. 

Whether this chain of positive events represents the beginning of a new era of common sense in immigration reform or an insignificant statistical blip of good news remains to be seen. But this much should be clear even to the most hard-headed of the far-right. We cannot possibly deport 11-12 million illegal immigrants and we cannot ever make their lives so miserable that they will voluntarily leave. 

What we can do is continue to secure our borders, provide a path to citizenship for those that deserve it (college graduates and military enlistees) and, yes continue to deport those who actually violate our criminal laws -- without resorting to mean-spirited and unconstitutional attacks on the children of illegals and motel maids. 

Please let me know your thoughts.