Douglas N. Brower: There’s a deal to save Dreamers for those willing to take it
Almost 50 years ago, this country faced an illegal immigration problem similar to the one today. The problem was solved in 1986 by the Reagan Amnesty, but the borders were never adequately controlled. Combined with a loose legal immigration policy, this led to the situation we have today. Except that the problem today is much bigger.
There is an easy and obvious deal to be made. 1) Create a pathway to legality. 2) Provide adequate funding to truly control the borders; hold your nose and give Trump his wall. 3) End quota visas in favor of merit-based visas. 4) End chain migration. This is the only deal which has chance. More than half the Republicans would, perhaps reluctantly, vote for it. More than half the Democrats would, perhaps reluctantly, vote for it. Trump would, perhaps reluctantly, sign it. One thing is certain, any politician who does not agree to this does not really give a damn about the Dreamers. They are just playing politics.
Douglas N. Brower, Ballico
This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Douglas N. Brower: There’s a deal to save Dreamers for those willing to take it."