House Members Needn't Be Bullied on Immigration

A bad bill makes no sense, especially if it has not been carefully read by all who might vote on the bill. What does make sense today is to pass those common sense elements of the immigration bill that will allow talented foreign workers to remain in the U.S. in legal fashion. Just such measures have been proposed and are outlined here. Republicans have an opportunity to champion a package of worthy measures and abandon those that have been packaged up as part of a vote-buying charade.The Editors of The Wall Street Journal write:

Even if the House doesn’t want to take up the entire bill that recently passed the Senate, it can still consider and pass the parts that are pro-growth and that most Republicans support.

These include a provision to allow foreign graduates of U.S. schools with science, math and technology degrees to stay in America if they have a job offer. Even Mitt Romney supported this one. Another provision would double the number of H-1B visas for skilled immigrants, while a third would allow visas to those who will start businesses and invest in America. These reforms are vital to U.S. economic leadership, and a party that opposes them looks blinkered and backward.