“I don’t see it as a kick-off,” said Roy Beck, executive director of Numbers USA, which advocates restricting immigration, referring to the president’s meeting with congressional leaders on Thursday. “I think the fact that they’re bringing in a number of members of Congress who will be defiantly against a comprehensive immigration bill suggests that the purpose of this meeting is more to lay out the broad spectrum that’s there in Congress and show how difficult it will be to put together a majority to pass a bill,” he said. In addition to to the conflict over guest workers, he noted that Schumer, for example, supports a national identification card, while civil liberties groups such as the ACLU oppose that. “It seems the president is giving himself some cover to hold back a little from the Hispanic caucus,” said Beck. “They’re the only members of congress keeping this thing alive.”

Beck emphasized that the last time a comprehensive immigration reform bill including “amnesty” was proposed in Congress with the support of President George W. Bush, it didn’t pass. “Why would members who voted against it in 07 when the economy was strong vote for it now?” he asked.

That's true, but it's also not clear that Obama's vision for overhaul is politically viable. Thursday's meeting will include some lawmakers who are dead set against any legalization, and Roy Beck, of the restrictionist group Numbers USA, believes this could be a good sign.

"By having strong senators and congressmen on the other side of this issue," Beck says, Obama "will be able to say, 'Hey, look, see how hard this is going to be? See how far apart we are?' "

On the other hand, Beck wonders if including both sides means that Obama is really serious about changes in immigration policy, since winning over Republicans is the only way it will happen. Immigrant advocates say the strong Latino vote for Obama last fall also makes it more important that he address the issue. Still, given that new immigration plans failed twice in Congress in recent years, Beck says the safe bet is that the president won't press for much anytime soon.

"He's trying hard to be kind to this lobby, but they're asking him to sort of commit political suicide," Beck says. "And they're saying unless you commit political suicide — 'we're not going to vote for you next time.' Well, that's crazy."