Self identified "Conservatives", and particularly those who identify with the "tea party" (whatever that means at this point... not very much)...
...and who, again mostly are not in fact conservatives, mostly they are reactionary right wing populists...
...are up in arms... again... about the possibility that Republicans might actually work with Democrats on some nebulous form of "Immigration Reform".
Outside the Beltway: House Republicans To Move Forward On Immigration Reform This Summer?
So... To be clear...
U.S. Immigration laws, regulations, and policies are universally recognized by all parties, regardless of politics, in and out of the U.S.; as stupid, wrongheaded, ineffective, and in fact damaging to both the nation, and to those who seek to immigrate here.
We are very effective at keeping the people out who we actually want here. We are absolutely ineffective at keeping out the people we want out.
There are many reasons for this, but they pretty much all come down to the laws, regulations, and processes being completely wrong and stupid...
... and EVERYONE KNOWS IT.
The current disagreement is in theory based on the idea that we should go about fixing these problems in a slightly different order, or with slightly different priorities.
From the politicians side of things (and yes, they are their own side here, and they're all on the same side... the one that obtains and retains greater power for them) the dispute is ACTUALLY about who gets to score what points, with what voting and donor blocs, and what media organizations.
From the PEOPLES standpoint, the dispute is ACTUALLY about the fact the "sides" don't trust each other not to use the issue to deliberately screw over the "other side"...
... and of course about ingroup identification and social signalling, because this is a "wedge issue".
And mostly, the people doing the "arguing", are the vocal morons who have no clue what is actually going on, or why, or even what the laws, regulations, and processes ARE... Never mind what they should be...
... or the people who are USING THOSE PEOPLE... to whatever their particular ends may be.
So really... it's a fairly typical "wedge issue" in American politics today, more about "identity" than about the actual issue.
See "entitlement reform"
See "Tax Reform"
See "Environmental Policy"
