President Obama’s latest promise, or threat depending on your perspective, is to commit to comprehensive immigration reform. At a summit meeting in Mexico with that country’s president and the Prime Minister of Canada, the President sounded like he was channeling George W. Bush when he said he wants to see those illegal immigrants already in America legitimized so they can come out of the shadows. He wants foreigners who want to come to America and work to be provided a way to do so.

The president says he intends to have legislation to that effect by the end of the year and hopes for a vote in congress next year, an election year.

We are left with the same problem we had before: rewarding those who break the law. We are already rewarding them by paying for their children’s education and giving them free emergency room hospital treatment and other services. A Republican president and a Republican congress were unable to push this through. Will a Democratic president and congress do any better? Let’s hope not, or the law will mean nothing.  

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.