OPINION:
This month, The Wall Street Journal, as it sometimes does, joined the chorus of businesses and encouraged the Republicans to take the deal — which, to be clear, no one outside the negotiations has seen — on immigration.
There are two problems with that. First, the deal, such as it might be, almost certainly will include a provision allowing the president to parole as many of those entering the country illegally as he sees fit. That would have the practical effect of voiding the remainder of whatever deal emerges.
For the current administration — which has never had any intention of reducing illegal immigration — the ability to parole an infinite number of illegal immigrants would be a feature and not a bug of any deal.
The second problem is that the timing is suboptimal. The Journal argues that the deal, which no one has seen, is the best legislative answer to illegal immigration that is likely to appear in the near future, especially if former President Donald Trump becomes president again.
It’s a good thing the crew at the Journal doesn’t do legislative work for a living. In the event Mr. Trump becomes president, the Democrats will — in an effort to salvage what they can — rush to make a legislative deal with the new president.
Contextually, the reality is that American voters of all stripes are aware of our lack of a southern border and want something done about it. The Democrats have arranged themselves on the wrong side of the immigration issue and now trail the Republicans on immigration by 30 points.
Things won’t get any better for the Democrats if Mr. Trump becomes president.
If they remain patient, the Republicans can secure the southern border, require businesses to ensure that their employees are eligible to work in the United States, and moderate what are now unsustainable levels of illegal immigration.
Or they can cave in to the business lobby and make a weak deal that will be evaded and eroded by the Biden administration.
We’ve already lived through three years of a porous southern border, courtesy of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. A few days ago, we saw the Biden administration going to federal court to seek authorization to breach whatever fences Texas could construct to defend itself.
Can anyone credibly argue that Mr. Biden and his administration will not do everything in their power to allow and indeed encourage illegal immigration, no matter what any new legislation might say?
Laws do not enforce themselves, and the record of the Biden administration on the border security issue should not give anyone confidence that they will enforce any law, even one to which they may have agreed.
Congress should not settle on any deal that allows the administration any discretion.
• Michael McKenna is a contributing editor at The Washington Times. He was a deputy assistant for legislative affairs to President Donald Trump.
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