A grand bargain on immigration could address problems with both the old approach and Trump’s new approach
I
mmigration is one of the most divisive issues facing the United States, as it is in many countries. An ICE agent’s killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis is only the latest outrage that has brought the issue to the fore.
Facing a 30 January deadline to renew funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which houses ICE, Democrats are now insisting on limits on ICE, at risk of another shutdown. It may be a pipe dream, but it is worth asking whether now might finally be a time to forge the long-elusive bipartisan agreement on immigration.
I believe deeply in the value of immigration – my father was an immigrant, as were my mother’s parents – but even I must admit that the current system needs fixing. Until recently, immigrants flooded the US-Mexican border. Rather than trying to sneak across as in years past, most presented themselves at a formal border crossing and sought asylum.
