Just a few weeks ago, a State of the Union call for immigration reform would have seemed an exercise in futility. But now, President Obama, who Tuesday night will urge the House to pass new legislation, might have at least an outside chance of getting what he wants.

Immigration reform is back. Left for dead countless times in recent months, the effort to overhaul the nation’s immigration system — and deal with the estimated 12 million immigrants now in the country illegally — is again on the priority list for Speaker John Boehner and House GOP lawmakers.