Immigration reform — no potential Democratic voter left behind

In my posts about comprehensive immigration reform, I’ve used a figure of 11 million as an estimate of the number of illegal aliens who will be offered amnesty and a path to citizenship. But according to Fred Bauer at NRO, the number could be much larger than that.

A legislative summary of the Gang of Eight immigration-reform proposal states: “Spouses and children of people in RPI [Registered Provisional Immigrant] status can be petitioned for as derivatives of the principal applicant (but must be in the United States at the time).” This provision creates a strong incentive for family members of those currently in the U.S. to come here illegally in order to apply for RPI status. Thus, says Bauer, the number of individuals for whom a path to citizenship is created could swell to well over 11 million.

The more, the merrier, if you’re trying to maximize the number of future Democratic voters.

UPDATE: In addition to allowing family members who enter illegally going forward to apply for RPI status, Bauer says that the Gang of Eight bill allows individuals who are currently under removal orders to apply. So can individuals who have been deported if they are a spouse or parent of a lawful permanent resident or U.S. citizen or someone who would be eligible for DREAM Act provisions.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses