One of the headlines of a story posted early last January was “Is Enforcement Now, Enforcement Forever Winning?” In reviewing the blog stories for 2010, I fear that the answer to this question is “yes.” Still, we had some good immigration news.

1. ARIZONA'S SB 1070: The Arizona legislature, Governor Jan Brewer signs into law, and a district court strikes down (in large part) Arizona’s SB 1070. This fall, the Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments in the case and a decision is pending. Arizona's aggressive immigration enforcement law caused a national and international buzz, with Arizona dubbed the "show me your papers state."

2. CONGRESS FAILS TO PASS THE DREAM ACT: After years of talk, and weeks of intense lobbying, Congress in December fails to pass the DREAM Act.

3. CONGRESS FAILS TO PASS CIR: After years of discussion, the U.S. Congress again fails to pass comprehensive (or any) immigration reform.

4. OBAMA DEPORTS MORE THAN ANY U.S. PRESIDENT IN HISTORY: The Obama administration deported a record number (392,862) of noncitizens for the year, more than any President in U.S. history.

5. SHERIFF JOE DOES NOT GO: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, always controversial and under fire, remains in office despite conducting a reign of terror of Latinos in Arizona.

6. DEATH ON THE BORDER CONTINUES: Increased border enforcement results in increased border deaths, with records set (and here).

7. BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ATTACKED: Politicians attack the 14th Amendment's grant of birthright citizenship and proposals for its abolition are plentiful.

8. ENFORCEMENT NOW, ENFORCEMENT FOREVER POLICIES OF OBAMA ADMINISTRATION CONTINUE: Besides deporting more noncitizens than any President in U.S. history, the Obama administration aggressively pursued an array of immigration enforcement measures. Indeed, from the deployment of the National Guard to the border to the ramping up of Secure Communities, a federal/state program facilitating removals, the Obama administration emphasized immigration enforcement over all other immigration priorities.

9. NICKY DIAZ DERAILS MEG WHITMAN CAMPAIGN FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: In a campaign filled with delicious ironies, the "discovery" of Nicky Diaz, an undocumented domestic service worker employed for years by billionaire Meg Whitman, during the California gubernatorial campaign led to a Jerry Brown victory.

10. HAZLETON ORDINANCE HELD PREEMPTED BY THE THIRD CIRCUIT: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit holds that Hazleton, PA's anti-immigration ordinance is preempted by federal law.

11. STEPHEN COLBERT TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS ON IMMIGRATION

12. FILM MACHETE IS RELEASED AMID CONTROVERSY: Richard Rodriguez's controversial film Machete, with a Mexican hero who kills Anglo racists, is released. Is it parody or is it racist? You tell me.

13. PRESIDENT'S AUNT GRANTED ASYLUM: An immigration court granted President Obama’s aunt asylum. This must be a first in U.S. history!

14. OBAMA IMMIGRATION SPEECH: On July 1, President Obama delivered a speech on immigration reform at American University. Was anybody in Congress listening?

15. IMMIGRANTS WIN BIG IN U.S. SUPREME COURT: Immigrants again won big in the U.S. Supreme Court, including an important victory in Padilla v. Kentucky, which held that an ineffective assistance of counsel claim could be based on a failure to advise an immigrant of the immigration consequences of a criminal conviction.

16. ORAL ARGUMENT IN THE "OTHER" ARIZONA IMMIGRATION CASE: The Supreme Court heard oral argument in Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting, which involves an Arizona business licensing law that revokes the licenses of the employers of undocumented immigrants. The Court's decision in this case will likely affect the constitutionality of other state and local immigration laws.

17. CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT COMES THROUGH FOR UNDOCUMENTED COLLEGE STUDENTS: The California Supreme Court upheld the provisions of the California state statute allowing undocumented students and others to pay in-state the same fees as residents to attend the University of California, California State University, and community college systems.

18. FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION GROWS: Census data shows that the U.S. foreign-born population nears 37 million, and that more than one in five people in the U.S. are first- or second-generation.

19. IMMIGRATIONPROF REACHES ONE MILLIONS HITS! Thank you loyal readers!

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Immigration 2010 in Review: Enforcement Now, Enforcement Forever Reigns Supreme