The headline is a rhetorical question. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have come up with the framework for immigration reform. Is it something that can pass in the Senate in the lame duck session before Republicans take back control of the House in January? Nah. But, Senator Sinema can tell her constituents that she fulfilled her promise to make immigration reform her first priority after the midterm elections.

There is a time crunch even if there was the support of 50 Democrats, much less 10 Republicans, which is highly unlikely. Any legislation would have to pass in the House and the Senate before the new session begins in January. It’s certainly a non-starter when Kevin McCarthy is Speaker of the House, as he is on record with saying there will be no immigration reform until the border is secured. So far, the Biden administration has shown no inclination to do that.

So, what is in this framework? There’s something for everyone, so you know no one will be happy.

The deal would include a pathway to citizenship for two million Dreamers, or DACA recipients who were brought to the U.S. as children, resources to speed up asylum processing and removal of those who do not qualify, more funding for border officers, and a one-year extension of Title 42 until new processing centers are up and running, according to the Washington Post.

The deal concedes the pathway to citizenship and beefed-up due process rights for some immigrants to make Democrats happy and faster removal and strengthened border security for Republicans, though it’s not clear if 10 will be on board in the Senate.

It’s being described as a framework. I assume more is to come or more specifics will emerge. As it is being reported, there isn’t much there other than has already been suggested. Republicans, and some Democrats, want the U.S.-Mexico border secured. Border governors have been asking for more personnel and processing centers, as well as more personnel to deal with the flood of illegal migrants crossing the border. Border security is about to become an even worse mess at the end of the month when Title 42 ends. That’s why this framework includes a one-year extension. For Democrats, amnesty for Dreamers is a priority. They will not be happy with further use of Title 42 or a process that speeds up removing illegal aliens from the country. So, other than the amnesty for Dreamers, what is in it for Democrats to get excited about?

Unless I’m missing something, it looks like it should be dead on arrival.

Republicans pounced, as the saying goes.

‘This is a terrible deal that should be a non-starter in the House,’ Matt Tragesser, communications director to Rep. Andy Biggs, co-chair of the Border Security Caucus, told DailyMail.com. ‘Congressman Biggs does not support an amnesty of any kind.’

Anti-immigration group Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) tore into Tillis for working out the deal.

‘One would think that the utter disaster wrought by the Biden administration’s handling of the border, and our immigration system overall, would put an end to Republicans like Senator Tillis viewing an amnesty deal as the only path forward,’ press secretary Ron Kovach said in a statement.

‘It wouldn’t matter if he got $250 billion in funding or a 10 year Title 42 extension — unless Congress changes asylum and detention policies without amnesty involved, the crisis will continue.’

Democrats sound hopeful. And, in the case of White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, a little snarky against Republicans, too, as is her habit. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is looking at the plan and letting others know about it.

‘As author of the Dream Act, I applaud every good faith effort to give these deserving individuals a path to citizenship,’ Durbin said. ‘I’ve been in touch w/ my colleagues & will carefully review their proposal. I’m determined to do everything to help deliver a Christmas Miracle for Dreamers.’

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president had not seen the Tillis-Sinema deal, but was eager to push through a bipartisan immigration deal.

‘Let’s have a bipartisan agreement on immigration instead of doing political stunts, instead of doing what [Republicans] are doing – going to the border, not actually coming up with any real ideas about that. That’s where I will leave it.’

As author of the Dream Act, I applaud every good faith effort to give these deserving individuals a path to citizenship. I’ve been in touch w/ my colleagues & will carefully review their proposal.
I'm determined to do everything to help deliver a Christmas Miracle for Dreamers. https://t.co/qABW47cIUM

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) December 5, 2022

KJP is fond of calling what some Republicans, like the border governors who send buses to sanctuary cities to bring attention to the Biden border crisis and Republican lawmakers who lead tours of the border so that others may see it for themselves, ‘stunts’. So be it. Whatever it takes to get some attention brought to the humanitarian crisis on the border that Joe Biden created is worth some petty snark from KJP.

Democrats are in control of the Senate and will be in control after January, too. Why should Republicans go along with this framework proposal? What have Democrats done lately to prove they are worthy of making deals with? Republicans should still feel burned after the amnesty deal Reagan did with the Democrat-controlled Senate in 1986. In exchange for a one-time amnesty agreement, Reagan was promised tighter security at the Southern border, and employers would face strict penalties for hiring undocumented workers. The amnesty was put in place but nothing else from that deal. Democrats failed to live up to their end of the deal.

Kevin McCarthy is right. There is no reason to do any immigration reform legislation until the border is secure. Why should we keep rewarding illegal behavior? Either the United States is a sovereign country, a country of law and order, or we are not.

I see no reason to rush this through at this time, during a lame duck session. There is no urgency from Team Biden to secure the border. Joe Biden has never been to the Southern border. Ever. Not as a member of the Senate, not as vice-president, and not president. He deliberately created a humanitarian crisis by doing away with policies and agreements put in place by the previous administration, though he was warned a crisis would be the result. He doesn’t care. He just wants to be the not-Trump president. He does things out of spite against the former president and Americans pay the price.

Joe Biden is going to Arizona today to visit a semi-conductor plant in Phoenix. Will he bother to take a quick trip to the border? KJP said no, when asked on Monday. Again, why should Republicans trust Democrats to make immigration reforms? Just enforce the laws on the books now.