Close borders, then fix immigration.
If Congress really wants to resolve the illegal immigration issue, it must use a simple blueprint, and avoid the insanity of comprehensive immigration reform. The record clearly illustrates that Congress does not have the ability to legislate an effective “comprehensive” anything. Look no further than the 113th Congress and S.744 as proof.
The “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” was a holistic approach to solving everything from an impenetrable fence to non-immigrant visas. The bill passed the Senate on June 27, 2013 by a vote of 68-32. It was dead on arrival at the House.
Immigration reform can be effectively accomplished only if taken in small, measured doses. Passing a comprehensive immigration-reform bill is a fantasy. Illegal immigration is a complex issue with economic, political, budgetary, foreign policy and other implications affecting all of us in one way or another. There are currently dozens of bills addressing various aspects of illegal immigration in some stage of the legislative process. Addressing, much less passing, any or all of them solves nothing unless and until our borders are secure.
If your home has a plumbing leak, the first action is not to begin dealing with the flood, but rather to turn off the water. Once the leak has been stopped, you can begin to deal with the problem.The “gang of eight” (four Democrats and four Republicans) sponsoring S.744 in 2013 believed they could accomplish what others had failed to accomplish, even though previous comprehensive immigration-reform bills such as S.2611, “Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006,” never even made it out of the Capitol Hill ZIP code.
Some members of Congress still naively believe a do-all bill is feasible. However, Democrats and Republicans could not be more divided on the issue. Republicans want an impregnable wall on our Southern border, no form of amnesty for unauthorized immigrants, and green-card restrictions, while Democrats focus on lifetime work permits for the unauthorized, executive amnesties, and access to health care. No common ground there.
Because there are so many movable parts and variables, the issue is best addressed by dividing it into easily digestible pieces. Major sticking points are all more easily resolved if handled separately. They include various types of visas, Dreamers, agricultural workers, merit-based immigrants, family-based immigrants, employment-based immigrants, E-verify, integration and assimilation, refugees, other vulnerable people, and removal procedures.
But first the inflow of unauthorized immigrants has to be stopped, and that means dealing with border control as a separate item. Then, and only then, can a meaningful discussion occur.
Abandon the fairy tale of comprehensive reform. Close our borders. Stop wasting time. Turn off the water, stop the leak, and get to work.