A modest immigration reform would help both parties overcome their weaknesses with voters.
Could the war in Ukraine lead to long-overdue U.S. immigration reform? Stranger things have happened, and right now Democrats and Republicans have good reason to suspend the performative indignation and finger-pointing and cut a deal.
Because no major immigration legislation has passed since Ronald Reagan was president, the first thing to do is lower expectations and think small. The stakes aren’t complicated. The White House wants Congress to approve additional aid to Ukraine, and Republicans want to make that aid contingent on tougher requirements for foreigners seeking asylum in the U.S.
Migrants from Latin America in search of work have been exploiting our generous asylum policies for decades—and with increasing brazenness. Illegal entries at our southern border have reached record levels in recent years, and it should surprise no one that people from other parts of the globe are noticing. The Associated Press reported last month that more than 22,000 Chinese nationals were apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol between January and September, which is more than the previous 10 years combined.
Continue reading the entire piece here at The Wall Street Journal (paywall)
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Jason L. Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a columnist at The Wall Street Journal, and a Fox News commentator. Follow him on Twitter here.
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