Victory on illegal immigration is possible

WASHINGTON (AP) - The terms of the immigration debate have turned less friendly for illegal immigrants as lawmakers and the Bush administration struggle to reach a deal in the next few weeks.

The landscape for an immigration overhaul has turned upside down in only a year, with a different party in control of Congress and new political realities for President Bush and the chief congressional negotiators.

Bush—in search of a domestic legacy—has morphed from cheerleader on the sidelines to broker in the fray, dispatching Cabinet members for lengthy daily meetings with senators on Capitol Hill.

Last year's GOP point man, Sen. John McCain—whose moderate stance on immigration defined last year's approach—is hanging back, wary of angering conservatives while he struggles to keep his presidential run going.

And while Republican divisions were highlighted last year, this time it's Democrats—eager to show they can lead—whose fissures are on display.

In an ironic twist, the outlines of a potential deal have moved to the right—toward a more difficult road to citizenship for the nation's roughly 12 million illegal immigrants—even as the power in Congress has shifted to Democrats, who overwhelmingly favor a more permissive approach.

In other words WE'RE WINNING! So now is not the time to go wobbly, to borrow a phrase from Lady Thatcher.

The terms of the debate are changing and moving further to the right. The amnesty/open boarders crowd had their shot and were unable to get the legislation which they want passed. Their failure was due to the fact that there is no consensus for that kind of immigration "reform" in the nation.

While everyone is agreed that simply rounding up and deporting anywhere from 15 to 30 million illegal aliens is not practical a majority also agrees that any program which rewards with citizenship those whose very existence within the borders of the United States constitutes a crime and an ongoing act of contempt for the American people and their laws is unacceptable.

While there is a legitimate debate about the best method of removing the illegals from among us there is a broad consensus that building a physical barrier along the southern border is necessary. That area of agreement should be exploited and the fencing already authorized (thank you Duncan Hunter) should be completed as soon as humanly possible.

Once the flood of new illegals is stanched to a trickle we will have the leisure to hammer out a solution to the problem of tens of millions of uneducated illegal aliens who, even though many of them are honest and hard working, still manage to consume more tax dollars in government services than they generate in tax payments.