Immigration reform now
TODAY'S EDITORIAL
washtimes.com
Sep 12, 2006
Not a week following the reported demise of immigration reform, House Majority Leader John Boehner vowed to put a bill on the president's desk before Congress adjourns at the end of the month. Speaker Dennis Hastert agreed, adding "Congress cannot wait until next year to move on this issue. The American people expect us to tackle this problem and solve it." Well said, Mr. Speaker. But this is all very strange, considering Congress' return to work last week ushered in a flurry of news stories and editorials assuring readers that there is "zero chance" of immigration reform passing before November. Strictly speaking, the reports may well be right. It will be very difficult to get the Senate and the House to agree on a bill, especially after Mr. Hastert also said that the Senate's amnesty bill is off the table. What's to be done?
Since the spring, the danger for Republicans going into the November elections has always been the appearance of inaction. But we still feel that enforcement-first is a winning strategy with the American people. Polls prove this, even if they also show support for a guest-worker program. If the Republican leadership is indeed committed to getting a bill to the president before November, it should go back to basics and focus on enforcement. That would mean giving the Pence-Hutchison compromise bill (with tougher triggers and greater limits on guest-workers) a second look. We understand the inclusion of a guest-worker program is a major concession, but let's remember that such a plan would implement a program only after the border is deemed secure.
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