Immigration: Dilemma Deferred
The immigration debate has generated feelings of anger and frustration that are not likely to abate despite the Senate’s defeat of the latest reform measure. The perusal of almost any blog or discussion board on the matter will come up with comments like “Why should I press ‘1’ for English. This is America?” Other debates tap into the deep concern about lives lived on the margin by illegal immigrants.
One significant takeaway from this experience for Republicans and all the presidential candidates was an apparent loss of faith in the federal government. Sen. John Kyl, the Arizona Republican who endured withering criticism to fight for the failed measure, put it this way:
“They don’t think we can control our borders, that we can win a war, that we can issue passports.” He added: “And so they ask, ‘Why should we give more power to the government to do things it hasn’t been able to do in the past?’”
With the exception of Sen. John McCain, another Arizona Republican backing the bill, the presidential candidates divided along party lines on whether to approve the measure. RealClearPolitics has some initial reactions:
There have been numerous good reports delving into the complexity of migration flows but many of the Republican candidates continued to harp on border security as the focal point of future immigration legislation. Curiously, border security proponents generally have little to say about how to engage Mexico in solving the problem. With Mexican President Felipe Calderon engaged in a furious battle against drug traffickers and embarking on an ambitious reform program, this would be a good time to start that dialogue in earnest.
