Illinois' own Rep. Luis Gutierrez has brought immigration reform back to life in the U.S. House. Amid historic unemployment rates in their districts and a contentious health care battle on Capitol Hill, congressional Democrats -- along with the White House -- have been reluctant to move the immigrant rights agenda forward. But at a press conference in D.C. yesterday, the Chicago Democrat said it's time to end the "blame game" that attributes job losses and rising health care costs to the presence of illegal immigrants.

"The opponents of immigration reform will use it as a wedge issue," Gutierrez said while unveiling the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP) (PDF). "The immigrant blame game is one of the most predictable [and] most deplorable of public debate in our nation ... The only way we're going to win this is if it's greater than the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, if we show our leadership to bring people together." Watch:

As evidence of the need for swift reform, USA Today covered the story of Rigo Padilla, a University of Illinois at Chicago student who has become a national poster child for the broken immigration system. As regular readers know, today was the day that the 21-year-old was scheduled to be deported to Mexico following a misdemeanor DUI conviction. Thanks to an intervention by Rep. Jan Schakowsky and the political pressure applied by thousands of activists, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency granted Rigo a one-year reprieve last week. "Why would we deprive ourselves of outstanding students and future leaders?" Schakowsky is quoted saying. "They had no part in the decision to come here."

To that end, Sen. Dick Durbin's DREAM Act, which would put undocumented students like Rigo on the path the citizenship, is a central a part the reforms (PDF) unveiled on Capitol Hill yesterday. Workers that have a steady job, are proficient in English, and can pass a criminal background check would also be eligible for legal status if they pay a $500 fine. In keeping with the urgency of reunification -- a crisis brought to the forefront by Gutierrez' "family unity" tour -- an additional 100,000 additional visas also would be earmarked for those most affected by the separations.

To be sure, the bill is going to face a steep climb on Capitol Hill. In an effort to attract conservative support, Gutierrez' package features stricter enforcement measures, including border security and a crackdown on employers who hire the undocumented. At the same time, more punitive policies -- including "287(g)," which allows anti-immigrant law enforcement agents like Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran to apply for federal immigration enforcement powers -- would finally be scrapped.

But it's not certain when this vigorous debate will take place. Already Illinois Reps. Mike Quigley, Danny Davis, and Schakowsky have pledged to do their part to advance the bill. Same goes for the the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, whose activists are gearing up for an aggressive organizing campaign.

In the meantime, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is reported to be finalizing his own companion legislation, while "quietly trying to build a bipartisan coalition for a measure that could actually be approved next year."