Some opponents of the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill are giving poor reviews to a new move by Republican Sen. John Cornyn to toughen the legislation with more enforcement requirements. “This amendment would change nothing of consequence,” writes Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies. “It’s yet another attempt to dupe conservatives into excusing a vote for the Schumer-Rubio bill.”

The fundamental problem the critics see with Cornyn’s amendment — which has only been released in outline, not in final legislative language — is that it does not change the Gang bill’s basic structure. Under that structure, legalization of the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country will come first, followed by the implementation of enhanced security measures, followed by a path to citizenship. Any bill that puts legalization before security will be unacceptable to a significant number of Republicans, especially those in the House.