Why Republicans will never reform immigration

Never. Not ever.

President Donald Trump and his wall.
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The Republican Party is never going to reform immigration. And it isn't just because of President Trump. The party's other leaders have decided that immigration is something you can talk about, use as an electoral wedge issue, or bang your fist about. But there will be no attempt to actually make policy on it, at least not anything that resembles the "reform" we've been promised for years.

We saw that clearly last week, when a small group of Republicans — "Most, but not all, represent swing districts with significant Latino constituencies or are retiring from the House," as The Washington Post noted — started a bit of a rebellion, attempting to get votes on the House floor on immigration reform proposals. They were trying to do it via a "discharge petition," a parliamentary technique that involves getting a majority of members to overrule the speaker of the House, who controls the schedule, and force a vote.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.