In Washington, a new gang has been born. The Gang of Eight on immigration is here to tell us that we have succeeded in not enforcing the law so persistently and thoroughly that now we have to give up all pretense.
The Gang of Eight wants to amnesty the 11 million immigrants who are already here as a product of past nonenforcement in exchange for a promise of future enforcement. In the United States, immigration enforcement is always just around the corner. The attitude is perpetually this time, we mean it.
Recommended Stories
It’s never a good sign when lawmakers can’t call things by their real names. Even conservative star Marco Rubio — the gang’s most important member, who has been energetic and fearless in making his case — calls illegal immigrants “undocumented” workers. He referred to them in a recent blog post as people “living in the United States without proper immigration documents.”
Supporters of comprehensive immigration reform also resolutely refuse to say the word “amnesty.” They contend that the proposed package is not an amnesty because illegal immigrants have to go to the back of the line for a green card. But before that happens, they get “probationary legal status” after passing a background check and paying a fine and back taxes. As a practical matter, this is the amnesty.
