Immigration Reform May Have Just Died

With all the hoopla over the immigration proposals in the senate, the news is out this morning which could easily kill any deal.  The framework of the agreement among the bipartisan group of senators pushing for an immigration deal requires no movement towards citizenship for current illegals until such time as the border is secured and current immigration procedures are updated and enforcement of laws against allowing illegals to work are in place.  Today's news is that the current plan among the senators is to allow the Secretary of Homeland Security determine when the border is secure and the other conditions have been met.  There will be standards set in the law against which the secretary of DHS must consider whether or not the goals have been met, but it will still be that secretary making the determination.  Simply put, there is no way that the House will ever pass a bill that lets Janet Napolitano decide when it is time for current illegal aliens to start on the path to citizenship. 

It would be foolish for anyone to count on the good faith of secretary Napolitano on this count.  Let me be more blunt.  It would be foolish for anyone to count on the honesty of secretary Napolitano on this count.  All one has to do is to look at her record.  Letting her make the decision would be like appointing the coaching staff of the Ravens to act as the only officials in today's Super Bowl.  It just doesn't make any sense.

If there is to be any possible way for this plan to succeed, it will have to require achievement of certain concrete goals with easily measured numbers together with approval by both houses of Congress and agreement by the President that the goals have been met.