A conservative case for the immigration bill

From the Dallas Morning News.

This is the most far-reaching and thoughtful reform of our immigration system in four decades and one that will significantly enhance American competitiveness. As with any political compromise, improvements can be made. But the basic framework is one that conservatives should support. Indeed, for conservatives who opposed last year’s immigration bill, this package represents a step forward.

The immigration system is in desperate need of repair. Any attempt to fix it must start with three givens: the need to regain control of our borders, the need to deal rationally with 12 million illegal immigrants already playing an integral role in our economy, and the need to restructure our immigration system so that we maintain our competitive strength in the global economy.

The Senate package addresses all three needs in a manner that advances conservative values.

Read the whole thing. Via Patrick Hynes who adds:

I have personally grown intractable in my support for comprehensive reform and, to be quite honest, the tone and tenor of the debate had grown so dramatic and hyperbolic, I was beginning to unidentify with conservatives. As I have written before, the conservative movement is making a dreadful mistake by alienating Hispanics in this country.

Now, before you go saying, but we’re just talking about illegal immigrants, we love the other kind; let me simply state that there have been far too many “these people are criminals!” dropped too loosely for that dubious distinction to come across in the rhetoric and talking points of the restrictionists.

What he said.