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“For many years, a robust norm held in American politics: You could be in favor of legal immigration while still opposing illegal immigration,” Alexander Kustov writes. That norm is now in danger of collapsing, putting every legal immigration channel at risk:

Freedom of movement is a very important liberal right, and immigration enforcement is a nightmare even in the best implementations imaginable. 🧵 www.liberalcurrents.com/editors-note...

Voters in general want strong border enforcement, and we have very recent history to show that even lukewarm support will evaporate quickly if there is the appearance of disorderly immigration. www.liberalcurrents.com/editors-note...

The "good" news is that our immigration system is so atrocious, so dysfunctional, so completely without virtue to speak of, that there is an enormous amount of common ground to be found on reform. And we cannot let differences in philosophy about the legitimacy of borders derail the reform process.

There are a set of things that the median Democratic voter and someone closer to the @liberalcurrents.com worldview ought to be able to agree to, and we need a 2029 trifecta to actually agree to as many of those things as possible and implement them. www.liberalcurrents.com/editors-note...

Building a simpler, faster, more humane immigration system than the one we have gives future liberal officeholders more tools to widen the openness of it with less risk of political fallout. www.liberalcurrents.com/editors-note...

We can get back to something like the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which was truly liberalizing in its effects. For decades afterwards we had something far better than what we currently have. We should aim for at least that much, and if the political moment is right, we may get much more.