Let a hundred illegals bloom

Mickey Kaus asks an interesting question: "Suppose Congress passes the Kyl-Kennedy-Bush immigration bill this year. And next year the voters elect as president Fred Thompson, or someone else who is skeptical of the benefits of putting mass legalization ahead of getting control of the border. Are the new "Z-visas" promised to illegals in the bill revocable by a future Congress? If they are, why would any rational illegal come 'out of the shadows' to claim one (and make himself or herself eligible for re-illegalization)."

Chinese dictator Mao Zedong once invited intellectuals to criticize his political system. Those who were naive enough to actually do so were later punished. Conspiracy theorists might think something similar is happening with the current immigration bill. We promise illegal immigrants amnesty if they register with the government to obtain a Z-visa which is supposed to allow them to stay in the U.S. forever. Then the U.S. revokes the Z-visa and deports everyone who signed up for one and thus identified themselves as an illegal immigrant.