The immigration problem has vexed our nation for generations without solution. It will only be solved with bipartisan compromise. Unexpectedly, just such a bill was hammered out earlier this year. However, it was tanked by one person: Donald Trump, acting for purely political purposes.
Although this bill may not be perfect, it’s a start. Congress should pass it and then keep working on a plan for the future. A former president once said: “I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally.” That was none other than Ronald Reagan, during a televised debate with Walter Mondale in 1984.
Reagan understood that we are a nation of immigrants, that we need immigrants to work in unfilled jobs, start businesses, buy homes and pay taxes that support Social Security and other programs we all want and need. Ronald Reagan would be sickened by what has become of the Republican Party, but what would really turn his stomach is someone like Donald Trump even being nominated for president of the United States of America.
