Moreover, as Schumer and McCain note, the Senate-approved immigration measure, which contains billions more for enforcement and adjudication, would make it much easier to deal with the surge.
The other objective of anti-immigration forces is to keep Obama from taking other executive actions, such as allowing more prosecutorial discretion in immigration cases and modestly expanding the Dreamers program. They may succeed here because even some Democrats caution against doing much in the current climate.
Looking ahead, right-wing Republicans dismiss the warnings of McCain and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Tom Donohue that the party will forfeit the 2016 presidential race if it deep-sixes immigration reform. Opponents might consult the last Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, the leading immigration-basher during the primaries, who tried to pivot and finesse the issue in the general election. Hispanic and Asian voters had longer memories, and overwhelmingly turned out against him.
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