Will this stab at solving immigration be any different from many before? | Opinion

The announcement of yet another immigration bill in Congress a couple of weeks ago put the tiniest of blips on my radar. Though immigration policy is hugely important to our Central Valley in California, trying to fix it has proven as easy as solving homelessness.

My curiosity was piqued a few days ago, however, when one of our congressmen, Modesto’s John Duarte, signed onto the Dignity Act, touted as the most serious stab at immigration reform in 20 years.

While Duarte was considering that move, presidential contender Ron DeSantis was sending airplanes with immigrants to California, and Gov. Gavin Newsom was threatening DeSantis with kidnapping charges. Can there be realistic hope for progress in immigration reform with such high-profile political stunts going on?

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I asked Duarte, a House Republican, how he came to back the Dignity Act. He said he listened in while a sponsor pitched it to another potential supporter at the U.S. Capitol. Soon one of the authors came knocking on Duarte’s door.

“They’re taking their very best shot at something that hasn’t been done in a very long time,” he told me of the authors, Reps. María Salazar and Veronica Escobar. The first is a Miami Republican, the second a Texas Democrat. The party balance is meaningful and intentional, as is the Latino heritage of both.

The bill’s co-sponsors are equally divided between both parties. When a Democrat is recruited, so must be a Republican, Duarte said.

The Dignity Act, or H.R. 3599, has a lot of moving parts. Its most salient points are spending real money to tighten border security, which Republicans like, while providing legal status and a path to citizenship for immigrants, which appeals to Democrats.

“It’s comprehensive, fair and humane,” said Duarte.

And it should play well with voters in his 13th District, which includes Stanislaus County west of Highway 99, plus Ceres, and runs through four other counties including Merced and Fresno. It’s a Latino-heavy district with lots of farmers, many who use migrant labor.

These demographics help explain why Duarte turned thumbs down last month on the Secure the Border Act, which amounted to Republican window dressing with no chance for success. That vote got Duarte into trouble with leaders of his party, but not his voters.

“We have to get those in our community out of the shadows,” Duarte said.

Immigration, a never-ending battle

Hearing Duarte talk about immigration made me remember former Rep. Jeff Denham, who fought similar battles — for local immigrants and against party leadership — in the previous decade. In 2018, I wrote about Denham and others announcing the USA Act, legislation “aimed at protecting Dreamers from deportation as well as strengthening border security.”

When that failed, as immigration reform always does, Denham said at the time, “I’m now convinced immigration will never get done without bipartisan support.” He lost a reelection bid later that year.

Duarte says he’s good friends with Denham. I hope he remembers those words from Denham, because he was absolutely right. Time will tell whether this year’s Dignity Act has enough juice on both sides to overcome the polarization that has come to define must-win American policymaking.

“It’s a good time in the House of Representatives,” Duarte told me, “to stand up and tell the extremes, `If you’re not going to get on board and won’t accept compromise of any kind, we will pursue more bipartisan legislation that’s going to make a difference for American families and focus less on messaging bills that are simply not going anywhere.’”