IMMIGRATION: Reheating a Cold Enchilada

Review Special Supplement: NYTimes' Lawrence Downes on immigration.

Two years ago I spoke at this institute about immigration, my main beat on The Times’s editorial board for the last eight or so years. I have to admit, I was very depressing. I didn’t stick around after the speech, but I sincerely hope I did not infect the rest of the proceedings with the mood I was feeling at the time, that mix of hopeless optimism, of determined despair, when you know your team is way behind, deep in the hole, when the players you need are Kobe and LeBron, and the players you have are Schumer and Menendez.