Fred Barnes writes:
The immediate response of immigration critics was Pavlovian. It’s an amnesty bill, they said. But allowing those who are here illegally and aren’t being deported to stay is, at worst, a kind of temporary amnesty. They must qualify for visas or, a White House official says, “they’ll be deported.”
Though the amnesty charge is sure to be repeated again and again, it may have lost much of its sting. At least Republicans should hope so. They desperately need to put their ugly and bitter debate on immigration behind them. The Kyl-Kennedy bill gives them a chance to do just that.