Court wins can fade. Pass H.R. 2 to make enforcement last.

A favorable ruling can be narrowed by the next Court, and an executive action can be undone by the next president — which is why the durable half of immigration reform runs through the Senate. When H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, reaches the Senate, take it up at once and pass it. In late June, the Supreme Court sided with enforcement twice, upholding tight asylum limits and the government’s authority to end Temporary Protected Status, before declining to let the government narrow birthright citizenship on June 30.

With the citizenship route closed for now, the government will need every enforcement tool available to cut the illegal entries and overstays the ruling rewards — and the tools that last are the ones written into statute. H.R. 2 would codify the winning enforcement lane: stronger asylum standards, an end to catch-and-release, real limits on parole, criminal penalties for visa overstays, and mandatory E-Verify. The last time this bill passed the House, the Senate let it die; this time it should send H.R. 2 straight to the President’s desk, before a future administration can reverse today’s gains with the stroke of a pen.

Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA

Sent to:
Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff