By Vincent J. Cannato | The Wall Street Journal
It would be no exaggeration to say that the Republican Party has been in a state of panic since the defeat of Mitt Romney, not least because the election highlighted America’s demographic shifts and, relatedly, the party’s failure to appeal to Hispanics, Asians, single women and young voters. Hence the Republican leadership’s new willingness to pursue immigration reform, even if it angers the conservative base.
Before Republicans jump at whatever reform Democrats may offer up, they should read Jeb Bush and Clint Bolick’s “Immigration Wars,” about as sensible a look at immigration policy as one will find these days. Mr. Bush, the former Florida governor, and Mr. Bolick, a conservative legal activist, understand what so many Republicans don’t: that the “comprehensive” immigration plans being bandied about today are anything but comprehensive.
The authors liken immigration policy to a hydroelectric dam that is “decrepit and crudely cemented over” (not exactly an elegant analogy); instead of patching it, they say, we need to replace it. Simply put: America’s immigration laws need an overhaul, not piecemeal reform. The authors argue that adding a few more visas for high-skilled workers and passing the Dream Act—a proposed bill that aims to give eventual citizenship to illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16—will only temporarily mend a broken system.
