The grand fraud of all is the claim that we must have "comprehensive" immigration reform -- that is, simultaneously deal with border control and the legal status of illegal immigrants already here.

There is no logical reason why these two issues must be dealt with together, though there are political reasons why elected officials want to do so. Passing border laws described as "tough" gives Congress political cover when they legalize the illegals.

It allows Congress to be on both sides of the issue, which is where most politicians want to be on most issues.

From the standpoint of the country, however, it is urgently important that the two issues be taken up separately, with border control being proven to be established first.

Otherwise, the American people get promises from politicians with a long track record of broken promises, especially on immigration, while illegal immigrants get their benefits up front and irrevocably for themselves and for the additional millions more who will cross the border.

Last year, the sop to the American people was the promise of a fence on the border. This year, the big question is: "Where is the fence?"

That will still be the question ten years from now, if we let the politicians soothe us with words.

The one encouraging aspect of the immigration issue is that the combined efforts of the White House and both Houses of Congress, together with most of the media, have thus far failed to turn the immigration fraud into the law of the land.

It is a disgrace that they have tried but a healthy sign of the commonsense of the people that they have still not succeeded.