Sheldon Richman on Republicans Reconsidering Immigration

Mitt Romney's loss to Barack Obama has so shocked the Republican Party that it now is willing to question long-held positions, says Sheldon Richman. If defeat prompts Republicans to abandon anti-freedom convictions, that's all to the good—even if the abandonment is cynically motivated.

The party has long insisted on border security, which means an electrified fence, militarization, and even surveillance by drones. Only after the border is secure, Republicans and conservatives have said, should any change in immigration policy be considered.