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Under pressure from Dreamer groups, the House Minority Leader says the goal is to pass a legalization without any measures to control illegal immigration and the Senate Minority Leader says that the very measure he considers necessary to discourage illegal immigration must not be included in any deal.

After years of ignoring the question of immigration levels, the news is suddenly full of stories about proposed changes to the numerical limits. Although (or, perhaps, because) there have been one or two examples of the media clearly not having thought through the basic questions surrounding green card policy, much of the reporting on the RAISE Act has been straightforward and down the middle. 

But the early returns have produced some common errors and mischaracterizations that are worth watching out for and correcting/clarifying for your fellow readers when you find them.

After the 2016 election, the theory (widespread after 2012) that demographic destiny would force the GOP to embrace large-scale legalization and immigration expansion has fizzled. The Republican Party and President Trump continue to have internal debates about immigration policy, but they are no longer alone. Pundits and reporters from the center left and beyond are looking at the Democratic Party's "immigration problem" with renewed urgency.

In order to have an honest and informed debate, we need to see the unauthorized migrants in the New York Times Magazine story as human beings AND recognize that in order to have a credible immigration policy, even terrific people have to be subject to the law.