Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) has said Democrats could face certain defeat in the 2012 presidential election if they failed to fix the country's immigration system. He said President Obama himself was not happy with the situation. Referring to the pro-immigration rally in Washington on March 21st, he said public pressure was mounting on the Democrats, who won the 2008 election on the promise of reforming the immigration system.

In an interview with Pakistan Post at a fundraiser organized for him at Astoria, Queens, Congressman Ellison, who is the first Muslim member of Congress, said health care reform was the biggest hurdle in the way of immigration reform, since Congress was completely focused on passage of this vital legislation. He claimed, however, that the Obama Administration is determined to get immigration reform passed as soon as possible and that consultations were already happening in both houses of Congress. In response to a question regarding the up-coming mid-term and presidential elections, he conceded that the Democrats face serious problems.

Addressing the American-Muslim community, Congressman Ellison pointed to the Census 2010 and the importance that the community participates fully irrespective of his/her immigration status. "The more we participate in Census, the more we display our political power," he stated, adding it was imperative that every Muslim get counted.