5 Politicians Who Could Make Immigration Reform a Reality

Nov. 8, 2012— -- Immigration reform. It's the talk of the town post-election.

Senate Democrats, Republican leaders and some business titans are all saying that reform should happen early in President Barack Obama's second term, an idea that's been catapulted forward by the pivotal role Latinos played in the election.

The president is on board, too. After promising reform on the campaign trail (yes, again), he mentioned it prominently in his acceptance speech.

If the temperature is right for reform then it will be up to Washington to make it happen.

"We want citizenship for 11 million people and we're not going to stop until we get it," said Frank Sharry, the executive director of America's Voice, a group that lobbies for immigration reform. "But first we have to get to the table, let's not start talking about an end deal."

Here are five of the players in Washington who can help make reform happen:

1. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio)

Democrats control the White House and the Senate but Republicans have a strong majority in the House. Congressional leadership on both sides of the aisle will be key, but none more than the Republican leadership in the House. Boehner doesn't need unanimous support among Republicans -- and he likely won't get it -- but he will need to corral something in the neighborhood of 25 votes.

In a Nov. 8 interview with "World News" anchor Diane Sawyer, Boehner expressed a willingness to tackle immigration: "This issue has been around far too long," he said. "A comprehensive approach is long overdue, and I'm confident that the president, myself, others can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all."

2. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.)

Moving straight down the line of House leadership, Cantor will be an important when it comes to time to secure Republican votes. Fresh off a convincing reelection win, Cantor could be a unifying voice for the party. "He has an ability to work with the Tea Party caucus of the GOP as well as the more traditional GOP," said Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum. "His skill in negotiating and navigating that bridge is going to be really important."

His office is already talking about reform: "We understand that we can't keep kicking this can down the road,'' an aide to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday. "We're going to address the 11 million people."

3. Arizona's Senators

Go figure: The two Republican senators from the state with the so-called "papers, please" law could be influential voices in the immigration reform debate, and help make reform a reality. When it comes to immigration reform, Sen. John McCain is his party's best-known voice on the issue, despite a turn to the right over the past four years.

"What is his position? The border has to be more secure before we can move on to immigration reform," said Sharry. "Well, the border is more secure than ever....He could easily pivot if he wanted to, he would be hailed as the returning maverick."

Fellow Arizona Republican and Senator-elect Jeff Flake could also move the debate. Although he's gone back-and-forth on immigration policy: Before 2010, he supported the DREAM Act, a bill that would create a pathway to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants who serve in the military or attend college. But he voted against the bill in the House two years ago (it passed the House but was eventually defeated in the Senate).