No Negotiation on Immigration

In the spirit of the President’s recent stance against negotiation over Obamacare and the debt ceiling, I propose that the same principle should apply to issues of equal importance. The security of America’s borders is one such issue. Accordingly, there should be no negotiation on immigration until the border is secure and illegal immigration, through illegal entry or overstayed visas, is reduced to insignificant levels.

Immigration laws, like Obamacare, are the law of the land. They have survived constitutional tests at the Supreme Court. If President Barack Obama and the Democrats don’t like those laws, they should win elections on that basis and change them. (Obama enjoyed applying a few choice epithets to Republicans who dared oppose a debt ceiling hike, as he once did. Here’s a word for a president who defies the law: tyrant.)

Any half-decent opposition would treat Obama exactly as he has treated the House of Representatives. And immigration is the perfect opportunity. Not only should there be no conference on the Senate immigration bill–there should be no conference on any bill except those specifically targeted at improving security or law enforcement. It’s not political payback. It’s making them live up to their own rules, Saul Alinsky-style.