Democrats do not want to negotiate with immigration opponents

Washington Times:

Sen. James Lankford was one of the Republicans seeking a middle-ground deal on immigration last year, joining a series of bipartisan meetings where they tried to figure out how to legalize “Dreamers.”

But Mr. Lankford said every time he raised the other side of the issue — enforcement or limiting the chain of family migration — he was put off. Until finally he was just cut out of the meetings altogether.

“We literally stopped getting invited. I raised it every meeting for several meetings, and after that it was literally ‘You’re no longer invited.’ Even when our staff contacted them and said when’s the next meeting — no response,” said the Oklahoma lawmaker.

Now, as Congress puts a government shutdown in the rearview mirror and begins to figure out how to return to the immigration issue, who’s actually in the negotiating room has become a major sticking point.

A number of different negotiating teams have emerged in recent months.
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But Democrats have said some of those Republicans shouldn’t be allowed in any talks.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, Democrats’ floor leader, said Mr. Cotton and Mr. Goodlatte, who are focused on enforcement, would poison the chances for a bill Democrats could join.

“There is no deal those two could forge that would earn the support of a majority in either the House or the Senate,” said Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat. “If Sen. Cotton and Rep. Goodlatte, who have opposed [the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program] all along and basically been strongly anti-immigration have veto power over an agreement, everyone knows that there won’t be an agreement.”

The White House has said it wants to see all sides — legalization-backing Democrats and enforcement-minded Republicans — work something out.

Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat, said he told White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly last week that won’t work.

“He wants people who don’t agree on immigration — that is people on the right wing of the Republican Party — to come in and have a say anyway,” Mr. Gutierrez said. “I think that’s the wrong way.”

Democrats have said the basis for any deal should be the talks between Mr. Graham and Mr. Durbin. But they’re the ones who cut out Mr. Lankford, Mr. Cotton and others.

Mr. Cotton said trusting them to negotiate will lead to a one-sided bill most Republicans can’t support.

“When Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin agree on immigration, [that’s] not a bipartisan agreement — they agree on the policy. Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin are not adversaries negotiating — they are allies strategizing,” Mr. Cotton said.

He also chided Mr. Schumer for trying to exclude him.

“I don’t understand why Sen. Schumer is so scared of me. He’s been around here for 38 years — you’d think he’d have more self-confidence in his negotiating abilities,” Mr. Cotton said. “I’m not scared of him or any other Democrat — I’ll talk to them about any issue at any time on any topic.”
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If the Democrats stick with this non-negotiation strategy they will not get a bill that can pass with the two-thirds majority to override a veto by Trump who is closer to Cotton and Goodlatte than he is to the Gang of Six approach which is a none starter.

If anyone is kicked out of the negotiations it should be Durbin who is no longer trusted to negotiate in good faith.  The current polling shows the voters are much closer to the Cotton-Goodlatte approach than to what the Democrats want.

The Democrats current approach means they are not likely to get DACA either.  To get DACA they will have to agree to a border wall, the end of the immigration lottery and chain migration and wind up with a colorblind merit-based immigration system.

By excluding opponents from the negotiations it is not a real negotiation.