Ruben Navarrette has a thoughtful op-ed in today’s USA Today that tries to dissect the problem with immigration and border security reform. What we are likely to engage in, he forecasts, is “not a debate. It’s a distraction.”

The bill being drafted by Sen. Schumer with the administration is incomprehensible. On the one hand, Schumer tries to buy off both labor unions and “the right” with tough talk about enforcement and discouraging immigrant labor. On the other, the bill guarantees amnesty. That’s likely to fail for two reasons.

First, the experience of the failed reforms of 1986 clearly show that a general massive “amnesty” will overwhelm any enforcement effort. In addition, many on the right have no problem with temporary workers (something Schumer’s bill would discourage). In fact, many conservatives would prefer them to forcing illegal immigrants to become US citizens.

In addition, what honest American employers want is the right “legal” worker at the right time so they can make their business work…healthy businesses grow jobs, and they grow them much faster than an command economy directed from Washington.

The Schumer “compromise” is no compromise at all. It is Trojan Horse that will not only add border insecurity and grow the unlawful population, it will give Washington even more power over how the economy runs. With such a bill as the “start” point for negotiations, it is not surprising that Navarrette predicts a tough time ahead for the President’s plan.