Back to the Status Quo on Immigration

The Grand Immigration compromise has gone down to defeat. The result is largely the fault of President Bush to deliver the votes of Republican Senators in Congress – just 7 voted in favor of cloture. He didn’t expend any political capital or engage in any of the hardcore arm-twisting he did in the past with legislation to restrict habeas corpus, etc.

I have mixed feelings on the defeat. The legislation provided a road to citizenship – albeit with more hurdles than I favor – for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants curently in the U.S. In that respect, it was a good first step.

The legislation was horrible in not providing a road to citizenship in its guest worker program. People who come here and do some of the hardest work deserve a path to citizenship once they’ve established a record as a good, law abiding resident.