Tomás Jiménez’s op-ed on immigration in the Washington Post

The myth of immigrant non-assimilation

After the White House abandoned its policy of separating children from their migrant parents, Congress had a little breathing room to try to pass immigration legislation addressing other significant issues. But Republican hard-liners in the House who have foiled past immigration reform attempts have been at it again. In recent days they forced postponement of votes on compromise legislation, and on Wednesday led a revolt against House leadership in voting down the bill.

There is an irony here: Anti-immigration lawmakers and their supporters frequently cite the failure of illegal immigrants to assimilate as a reason for their hostility, yet they fight the very kind of reforms that encourages assimilation. The best way to foster the integration of undocumented immigrants into American society is to provide a path to legal status. The conservative hero Ronald Reagan knew that legalization works, and he acted on it.

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