Reconsidering Amnesty

Mickey Kaus notes that in the wake of the defeat of the DREAM Act, Obama and hispanic activists are re-thinking their strategy on immigration:

In the wake of the defeat of the DREAM Act—long considered the immigrant legalization bill that would be easiest to pass—the once-confident “immigration reform” movement has entered an introspective, questioning phase. Activists are openly asking how their leaders, such as Rep. Luis Gutierrez, could have so misjudged the public mood as to lead them to near-total defeat. Many are even saying what was heretofore unthinkable: that it was arrogant for people who came into the country illegally, however appealing they are as individuals, to let themselves be seen as demanding legalization before their host citizenry was assured that the border would be secure against future illegal entry. (emphasis in original)

As a person who is in favor of amnesty – yes, I want long-term, law-abiding and self-supporting illegal immigrants to be granted legal status – I identified the flaw in the amnesty side from the start.  When comprehensive immigration reform was beaten during the Bush Administration by what amounts to a political uprising on the part of the American people, it was plain as a pike staff what had to be done – unless and until the border was made secure, there was no chance the American electorate would tolerate anything which smacked of amnesty for illegals already in the United States.

And when you think about it, this is the logical and just position to have.  Government can’t be trusted to keep promises, so the results will have to be plain, first.  Secondly, while we did essentially invite the illegals in to the United States by our policy and failures to enforce our own laws, this does not mean that justice requires us to continue to have stupid policies and law enforcement failures.

The American people are generous and welcoming.  There is no desire on the part of the American people to round up 12 million or so illegals and deport them (though there is a strong desire to deport or otherwise get rid of any illegals who violate laws once in country…especially when the violations are of the violent crime nature).  But there is a limit – and it has been reached when Americans hear of criminal gangs murdering thousands in northern Mexico;  when illegals are on welfare in the United States; when women come to the US in order to give birth to an “anchor baby”; when, finally, it was seen that the amnesty demonstrators were carrying too many Mexican flags…Mexico may be a fine nation with a proud history, but that flag may as well be a dish rag as far as Americans are concerned and to see it carried by illegals demanding rights inside the United States was just too much to bear.

I do hope that the activists have figured it out – there are some indicators that they haven’t, but the linked article indicates that some of them, at least, are starting to realize that opposition to amnesty isn’t racist and that some practical accommodations to American national sentiment will have to made if amnesty is ever to happen.

Read more at Noonan for Nevada