GOP Immigration Politics Have Moved Far Beyond the Reality of U.S. Arrivals

Just say no.No, as has often been noted, is the most powerful word in the English language, a dead stop to a bad proposition. And it’s probably the best advice Democrats can heed at this point on striking an immigration deal with President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress. Just say no.The fact is that the Republicans, who control all three branches of government, are trying to buffalo a few Democrats into breaking ranks on the so-called Dreamers and on a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws. They’re certainly due for serious debate and revisiting, but not this way -- not another rushed, in-the-dead-of-night deal bereft of public hearings and detail.So far, it looks more like congressional Republicans throwing billions of dollars at a problem they can’t even describe accurately to placate a president who wants an election-year policy victory for his base -- except that nobody knows what, precisely, that is. The best example is the wall.The Great Wall of Trump has gone from a great big physical barrier to maybe 700 more miles of physical barriers, along with more surveillance both on the ground and in the air. At least that’s what Chief of Staff John Kelly reportedly told members of Congress. And Mexico paying the $18 billion for it? Forget about it, he told them. Apparently the truth comes home to roost, even for Trump, once it gets down to the business of governing.  Continue reading...