Wednesday, March 05, 2008
The Corner on National Review

Immigration in Congress [Mark Krikorian]

A group of GOP senators led by the steadfast Jeff Sessions is announcing a package of immigration enforcement bills today. They are targeted measures, designed to address specific problems, rather than the McCain-Bush-Kennedy "comprehensive" approach of piggy-backing amnesty on grand promises of future enforcement. The L.A. Times piece lists most of the specifics; the name that surprised me most was Arlen Specter, who I've been told will introduce a bill to sanction countries that refuse to take their citizens back when we want to deport them. I eagerly anticipate John McCain's endorsement of these measures, since he has, after all, "gotten the message" that enforcement has to come first.

Some Democrats, meanwhile, are promoting new terminology to make McCain's amnesty more palatable to the public. The Center for American Progress and the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (the umbrella group for all the leftie amnesty advocates) has prepared a study arguing that Democrats need to toughen their language and talk about "requiring immigrants to become legal." This sounds absurd, of course, like "requiring" pickpockets to keep the wallets they steal, but apparently polling by Peter Hart shows that it moves some survey respondents.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Boren (D., Ola.) jumps the gun and says Congress will pass an amnesty next year, rendering state enforcement measures moot: "I think it'll pass the House and Senate and be signed by the president." Boren added, in the reporter's words, that "Who that president is probably won't matter much."

You can say that again.

03/05 04:56 AM

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