Trump immigration ideas will lead to defeat for GOP
Not on anyone’s mind? For years, immigration has been the subject of near-constant argument within the GOP. But it is true that Trump has brought the debate to a new place — first, with his announcement speech, about whether Mexican migrants are really rapists, and now with the somewhat more nuanced Trump plan.
Much of it — visa tracking, E-Verify, withholding funds from sanctuary cities — predates Trump. Even building the Great Wall is not particularly new. Dominating the discussion, however, are his two policy innovations: (a) abolition of birthright citizenship and (b) mass deportation.
If you are born in the United States, you are an American citizen. So says the 14th Amendment. Abolition would require amending the Constitution. Which would take years and great political effort. And make the GOP anathema to Hispanic Americans for a generation.
And for what? Birthright citizenship is a symptom, not a cause. The time and energy it would take to amend the Constitution are far more usefully deployed securing the border.
Moreover, the real issue is not birthright babies, but the chain migration that follows. It turns one baby into an imported village.
Chain migration, however, is not a constitutional right. It’s a result of statutes and regulations. These can be readily changed.
As for mass deportation, Trump told NBC’s Chuck Todd that all illegal immigrants must leave the country. Although once they’ve been kicked out, we will let “the good ones” back in.
This is crackpot. Wouldn’t you save a lot if you chose the “good ones” first — before sending SWAT teams to turf families out of their homes and dumping them on the other side of the Rio Grande?
It is estimated by the conservative American Action Forum that mass deportation would take about 20 years and cost about $500 billion.
This would all be merely ridiculous if it weren’t morally obscene. But because it’s the view of the Republican front-runner, every other candidate is now required to react. So instead of debating border security, guest-worker programs and sanctuary cities, Republicans are forced into a debate about a repulsive fantasy.
Which, for the GOP, is also political poison. Mitt Romney lost the Hispanic vote by 44 points and he was advocating only self-deportation. Now the party is discussing forced deportation.
Trump has every right to advance his ideas. But that is not to say that he should be exempt from normal scrutiny or from consideration of the effect of his candidacy on conservatism’s future.
The Democrats’ presumptive candidate is flailing badly. Republicans have a good chance of winning back the presidency. Do they really want to be dragged into the swamps that will make that prospect electorally impossible?
I understand the anger, the frustration, etc., etc., that Trump is channeling. But how are these alleviated by yelling “I’m mad as hell” — and proceeding to elect Hillary Clinton?