Could immigration IT be the next health IT?

President Obama told the Des Moines Register in a formerly-off-the-record interview in late October he was confident he could pass comprehensive immigration reform during a second term because Republicans would be eager to mend ties with Hispanic voters.

The newly reelected president also listed immigration reform as a major priority -- right after evading the fiscal cliff -- during Wednesday morning’s victory speech.

So, might immigration reform offer a slate of new opportunities for government technology vendors during the president’s second term just as healthcare reform did during his first?

The short answer is it's too soon to tell, TechAmerica Senior Vice President Trey Hodgkins told me Wednesday.

Technology could certainly play a role in some immigration reform plans, Hodgkins said, especially if the plan includes gathering more data about people entering and exiting the country.

“There might be some uses of technology to make immigration management more effective and that might alleviate some of the political issues you run into,” he said. “But that’s too premature to be specific about it. It depends on what path they take and time will tell.”