Where We Are On Immigration Reform

Mark Steyn realizes that there aren't any easy answers on the immigration debate. That pretty much states the obvious. Of course, Mark does it with far more style and elan than most.

Do we need to get a deal on a fence before we tackle the more problematic issue of how to deal with the issue of the millions of illegal aliens that are already here? That's Charles Krauthammer's solution. First build the fence, then deal with the illegal aliens that are already here.

If the government can demonstrate that it can control future immigration, there will be infinitely less resistance to dealing generously with the residual population of past immigration. And, as Mickey Kaus and others have suggested, that may require that the two provisions be sequenced. First, radical border control by physical means. Then shortly thereafter, radical legalization of those already here. To achieve national consensus on legalization, we will need a short lag time between the two provisions, perhaps a year or two, to demonstrate to the skeptics that the current wave of illegals is indeed the last.

This is no time for mushy compromise. A solution requires two acts of national will: the ugly act of putting up a fence and the supremely generous act of absorbing as ultimately full citizens those who broke our laws to come to America.

This is not a compromise meant to appease both sides without achieving anything. It is not some piece of hybrid legislation that arbitrarily divides illegals into those with five-year-old ``roots" in America and those without, or some such mischief-making nonsense.

This is full amnesty (earned with back taxes and learning English and the like) with full border control. If we do it right, not only will we solve the problem, we will get it done as one nation.

I think that may be the route to go. Instead of enlarging the problem to attempt a solution, breaking this particular problem into parts might be a better route.

The fence is part of national security and sovereignty. Defining the borders and making sure that we are able to control who can legally enter the country. The question is whether Congress has the will to actually get this kind of legislation passed.

I'm frankly skeptical on that front. There's a difference between what should be done and what can be done. In the current political environment, where the GOP is split, and the Democrats are seeking partisan advantage instead of actual reform, the route taken is the one of least resistance - to punt instead of dealing with the issue now. That's been the way Congress has been dealing with the problem for a while now, which helps explain why it has reached a crisis point.

And the illegal immigrant lobby and other pro-immigrant groups are planning yet more protests on Monday. I'm sure that will not only garner a lot of attention, but generate even more bad feelings towards the plight of illegal immigrants, particularly when we see photos showing the US flag flown below that of the Mexican flag, or flown upside down (which is a traditional distress call).