Immigration as a losing political issue

I agree with Bill Richardson, New Mexico Governor on this:

When immigration is an issue, nobody wins. (...) for Democrats to pass immigration reform before November, party leaders would have to force members from conservative-leaning districts to cast yet another tough vote that could raise the ire of swing voters. But Republicans face longer-term peril — if they continue to push aggressive legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants, Hispanic voters are likely to continue their exodus to the Democratic Party. 

The point is that immigration when it is solely a political issue is rarely about realities, but about fantasies and fears that policies can only address by being as radical as the Arizona Immigration bill without resolving the issue, but by being harsh to give the public that their fears are being taken seriously.