It’s no secret that one of the federal government’s priorities this year is overhauling the immigration system. And rightly so—as over 200 Georgetown students who demonstrated outside the Capitol Wednesday showed, our broken system is an issue that affects border states and Latino communities as well as bastions of relative privilege like the Hilltop. After its electoral rout at the hands of Latino voters, the GOP is more ready than ever to move on immigration, but as the Hoya protesters can attest, the important thing is not to get a deal, but to get the right one.
Of the many sticking points in the immigration debate, one of the first is surely border security. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), part of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” senators working on reform, has said any deal will have to include increased border security. However, it’s unclear where more agents and more money would go, or what good these would do.
President Barack Obama has already stepped up enforcement of illegal immigration laws, deporting more people in his first term than President George W. Bush ever did, and committing more law enforcement to the border than ever before. While the flow of undocumented immigration from Mexico is the lowest it’s been in decades, border crossing fatalities have not decreased at nearly the same rate. In such a complicated issue, one thing is clear: More enforcement can’t solve the immigration crisis.
But an issue more important for the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country today is how long and arduous that much vaunted “path to citizenship” will be. Most critically, any deal that Democrats agree to should make legal status in the U.S. a certainty for those who pursue it. No undocumented immigrants should be subjected to the legal limbo of their current status after this reform is passed.
Moreover, the waiting period for legal residence should be short, and should take into account how long immigrants have already been in the U.S. Fines and back taxes cannot become a barrier for legal status, and deportations must cease for those pursuing residence. If the price for legal status is too steep, millions of immigrants will not be able to attain it, and our nation will be left with the same problem it faces today.
Above all, symbolism remains the greatest threat to humane, comprehensive reform. Conservatives will do whatever they can to water down a deal, making it nearly impossible for undocumented immigrants to acquire citizenship, while claiming the electorally significant achievement of being partners in reform. It is up to the concerned public and progressive legislators to refuse to pass a bill that does not include an accessible path to citizenship and a relaxation of deportations. If we do not, it may be years before we can legislate the issue again.
