Immigration bill pleases the papers

The bipartisan "Gang of Eight" senators introduced their highly-anticipated immigration reform bill Tuesday. It's a compromise that includes an increase in border security and a 13-year-long path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the U.S.

The attempt to change the immigration system won mild praise in the editorial pages of the national papers Wednesday.

Wall Street Journal: "[O]n balance U.S. businesses and the overall economy would benefit from a growing supply of younger immigrants who would have decades of more productive, creative work to contribute to American prosperity. ...

"[I]mmigration reform would offer an economic stimulus far superior to anything Mr. Obama has come close to delivering in his first four years."

New York Times: "While there is a lot to worry about, our quick read of a fresh bill finds other encouraging things besides the opening of the pathway. It includes a good version of the Dream Act, to help young people who were brought here illegally as children speedily become citizens. It allows, amazingly, some deportees to re-enter the country to join their spouses and young children."

Washington Post: "The legislation is a milestone of pragmatism that, through tough trade-offs, would bring common sense to a broken immigration system that has come to symbolize dysfunction in Washington. Despite its sensible and necessary reforms, the bill faces stiff headwinds, especially in the House."

USA Today: "The Gang of Eight plan will undoubtedly undergo changes as it wends through the legislative process. But it's a good starting point for addressing one of the nation's most vexing problems."

@eScarry