According to the New York Times, immigration reform is still alive and well. To blunt doubt that the Obama administration is still committed to taking on this divisive issue in early 2010, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has announced that a new plan is in the works.

The plan will propose that legal status be given to approximately 12 million illegal immigrants for two principal reasons. First, this recognition will enhance national security. As stated by Secretary Napolitano, national security will always be in doubt as long as millions of immigrants live “in the shadows.” Second, this recognition will make immigrants “full-paying taxpayers” and contemporaneously protect American workers by eliminating unfair competition from exploited, lower-paid illegal immigrants.

To address what will surely be criticism from those who oppose immigration reform, the Obama plan will require illegal immigrants to register, pay fines and taxes owed, pass a criminal background check, and learn English. The plan will also include tougher sanctions against migrant smugglers and against employers that hire unauthorized immigrant workers.

Battle lines have been drawn in the past and will be drawn again. If history is any indicator, the immigration reform battle will be every bit as ferocious as the health care battle. So, those who like to slug it out will be able to do so well into next year. All employers don’t agree on immigration reform, but all employers yearn to have certainty about immigration compliance. We’ll see whether a greater degree of certainty than presently exists can be agreed upon. Stay tuned.