The Wall Street Journal publishes an excerpt from a forthcoming book by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and co-author Clint Bolick, a constitutional lawyer, entitled ‘Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution.’  The article is titled ‘Solving the Immigration Puzzle.’  Immigration is not static, nor can it be ‘solved’ in a temporal sense.  It should have been titled ‘Designing a Better Maze.’  My reply in the WSJ readers forum:

~ Agree, nothing ground-breaking here, limited prescriptive value to this article. I disagree with Gov. Bush’s assertion that we need to “start from scratch.” Much of the non-immigrant visa system works at it is largely designed to, classifying and controlling channels of temporary foreign visitors to the U.S., then providing avenues for meritorious promotion vis-a-vis a system of advancement to permanent residence through targeted employment or investment. Family-based adjustment of status to residence based on qualifying immediate relative relationships – the old marriage certificate shortcut – in principle, can’t change much either fundamentally.

There is, however, merit to the idea that the family chain needn’t be so constant. For instance, those who may qualify for some form of future ‘amnesty,’ if originally EWI (entry without inspection) or a long-term visa overstay, should be denied if not citizenship, than at least the ability to become a pulling link in the chain, i.e., to sponsor another family member to immigrate.  And denied that right if not forever, then at least for a very long time, as the price one pays – and will continue to pay – for breaking the law as a first act in America.