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| Immigration Headwinds | Immigration Headwinds |
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| The bipartisan immigration bill that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last month is now being sent to meet its fate on the Senate floor. While its chances of passage there look promising, there remains much uncertainty about how much — and how badly — the bill will be changed in the coming three weeks of debate. | The bipartisan immigration bill that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last month is now being sent to meet its fate on the Senate floor. While its chances of passage there look promising, there remains much uncertainty about how much — and how badly — the bill will be changed in the coming three weeks of debate. |
| The bill is imperfect as it is, adding too many layers of border enforcement and too many obstacles on its overlong path to citizenship. But at least it has a path, one that gives 11 million people a reasonable chance to get on the right side of the law. Democratic leaders and the bipartisan coalition that brought the bill this far need to stand firm to protect its carefully drawn compromises and to ensure that its irreplaceable core — the citizenship path — survives. | The bill is imperfect as it is, adding too many layers of border enforcement and too many obstacles on its overlong path to citizenship. But at least it has a path, one that gives 11 million people a reasonable chance to get on the right side of the law. Democratic leaders and the bipartisan coalition that brought the bill this far need to stand firm to protect its carefully drawn compromises and to ensure that its irreplaceable core — the citizenship path — survives. |
| We know how opponents view the bill — as an irredeemable “amnesty” measure — and some of the ways they will try to kill it. Senator Jeff Sessions, a Republican of Alabama, began the barrage early, with a long floor speech on Friday full of dire warnings and outright falsehoods. For instance, he accused the Obama administration of failing to enforce existing immigration laws, saying that “virtually no one is being deported,” which would no doubt surprise a million-and-a-half deportees. He complained that the bill didn’t do enough at the border, even though it lavishes billions of dollars on border drones and troops on top of decades’ worth of existing militarization. As The Times reported on Friday, defense contractors are slavering over immigration reform as the best thing for their bottom lines since Iraq. | We know how opponents view the bill — as an irredeemable “amnesty” measure — and some of the ways they will try to kill it. Senator Jeff Sessions, a Republican of Alabama, began the barrage early, with a long floor speech on Friday full of dire warnings and outright falsehoods. For instance, he accused the Obama administration of failing to enforce existing immigration laws, saying that “virtually no one is being deported,” which would no doubt surprise a million-and-a-half deportees. He complained that the bill didn’t do enough at the border, even though it lavishes billions of dollars on border drones and troops on top of decades’ worth of existing militarization. As The Times reported on Friday, defense contractors are slavering over immigration reform as the best thing for their bottom lines since Iraq. |
| Mr. Sessions may be outnumbered, but he does have allies. Senator John Cornyn of Texas last week proposed an amendment that would have required that new border-security measures be in place before unauthorized immigrants can be granted permanent legal residency, or green cards. | |
| One issue in dispute is the earned-income tax credit, one of the most effective means to lift people out of poverty and a perennial target for Republicans. Some Republicans are insisting that people legalized under the bill should not qualify for the credit. That would severely strain the fragile finances of many immigrants who are going to have to pay $2,000 each in penalties to get green cards and citizenship. Preserving the credit for all legal immigrants is crucial for fairness and keeping families out of destitution. | One issue in dispute is the earned-income tax credit, one of the most effective means to lift people out of poverty and a perennial target for Republicans. Some Republicans are insisting that people legalized under the bill should not qualify for the credit. That would severely strain the fragile finances of many immigrants who are going to have to pay $2,000 each in penalties to get green cards and citizenship. Preserving the credit for all legal immigrants is crucial for fairness and keeping families out of destitution. |
| As the Senate debates these and other points in this crucial-but-vulnerable bill, we can only hope that bipartisanship and courage will prevail and that opponents and skeptics finally recognize the cost of failure. | As the Senate debates these and other points in this crucial-but-vulnerable bill, we can only hope that bipartisanship and courage will prevail and that opponents and skeptics finally recognize the cost of failure. |
| Many Republicans still don’t see the political recklessness of killing reform that most Americans support. If the Republican Party doesn’t care about destroying its viability with a generation of Hispanic voters, why should anyone else? | Many Republicans still don’t see the political recklessness of killing reform that most Americans support. If the Republican Party doesn’t care about destroying its viability with a generation of Hispanic voters, why should anyone else? |
| But there is also the danger that the bill’s supporters, desperate to pass something, will be too willing to yield to the die-hard obstructionists and accept compromises that warp the bill beyond recognition or usefulness. | But there is also the danger that the bill’s supporters, desperate to pass something, will be too willing to yield to the die-hard obstructionists and accept compromises that warp the bill beyond recognition or usefulness. |
| The perils in the House are already evident, even if a solid bill is approved in the Senate. The House has its own bipartisan group working on a bill, but it has immigration dead-enders, too. One of them, Representative Steve King of Iowa, recently offered a spiteful amendment to a homeland security financing bill that would effectively kill the Obama administration’s program that halts deportations of blameless young immigrants known as Dreamers. The amendment passed, sending an unsettling message about the depth of House Republican resistance to reform. | The perils in the House are already evident, even if a solid bill is approved in the Senate. The House has its own bipartisan group working on a bill, but it has immigration dead-enders, too. One of them, Representative Steve King of Iowa, recently offered a spiteful amendment to a homeland security financing bill that would effectively kill the Obama administration’s program that halts deportations of blameless young immigrants known as Dreamers. The amendment passed, sending an unsettling message about the depth of House Republican resistance to reform. |
| The House battle will be fought later this summer. This month, the reform leaders in the Senate will have to stand up against bad politics and bad policy for a bill that could change this country. | The House battle will be fought later this summer. This month, the reform leaders in the Senate will have to stand up against bad politics and bad policy for a bill that could change this country. |
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| This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | |
| Correction: June 10, 2013 | |
An earlier version of this editorial incorrectly described an amendment proposed by Senator John Cornyn of Texas. It requires that new border-security measures be in place before unauthorized immigrants can be granted permanent legal residency, or green cards. It does not prevent or delay their ability to receive the temporary legal status envisioned in the bill. |