Immigration Bill: Round 2 coming up

Today brought some promising news for those who would like to have an immigration bill and not just a campaign issue this year. House Speaker Hastert (Bushite seven of hearts?) and Senate Majority Leader Frist (the 10 of Diamonds, no matter how many symbolic stands contrary to the President's announced positions he may pretend) have jointly announced that they will look to take out the clause from the House bill that makes illegal immigration a felony. Furthermore, House bill author Sensenbrenner (9-Clubs) has indicated he would go along.

Give them credit for working through their spring recess, and for a quality jiu-jitsu move. If there's one thing that all spokesmen from both parties were consistently saying, it was that there was a need for some tough sanctions to back up the new laws. Why, then, the uncharacteristic leniency?

Downgrading the charges makes good sense, both politically and legislatively. The hardhearted approach was not working on this issue. "Immigration reform" threatened to become an issue that could nationalize the midterm elections in a way that the Iraq snafu couldn't. Even better, and more relevant, than running against Bushite foreign policy (which Congress can't even oversee properly, let alone have any control over) would be making the House Republican leadership itself the issue. Somehow they have established their "tough guy" credentials enough to be able to soften their stand.

Legislatively, it makes total sense, as well. Sequentially, the initial emphasis needs to be on getting the immigrants already in the country to register and enter the process. Later, when there is some control over the processes of naturalization and over the borders, then is the time to increase the severity of penalties for employers, workers, aid organizations, etc. who act against the new regime. Getting the sequence wrong will allow non-compliance, non-enforcement, and various forms of cheating to continue to rule in the fields, the border zones, and in the casual day labor recruitment lots in so many towns and cities. One has to make the crime a little less prevalent before it can be both so weighty and fully enforced.

I applaud the agreement, the apparent influence of the White House, and the progress suggested by this announcement.