Beware the Status Quo

Written by Michale Medved

President Barack Obama’s proclamation of executive amnesty for illegal immigrants amounts to an outrageous power-grab and sets a dangerous trap for the GOP. Republicans can’t come across as stubborn defenders of the dysfunctional status quo: even if they rolled back every detail of the new White House initiative, our broken immigration system would still need sweeping reform.

Republicans should seize the initiative by passing their own reform bill, rather than fighting unpopular battles on the president’s terms. Conservative reformers have long called for a balanced approach on immigration: including beefed-up border security, tough work-place enforcement, and a path to legal status for immigrants who pay fines and back taxes, pass background checks, learn English, and go to the back of the line for green cards.

This is far more constructive than the president’s unilateral move to grant instant rewards to those who came here illegally and had babies in America.

This article was originally posted at the MichaelMedved.com blog.