Voices: This time immigration impasse can do real harm

MIAMI – Around this time two years ago, a bipartisan group of eight senators came together in an effort to at last solve our nation's immigration problem.

In a politically toxic Congress, where little got done and few dared to cross party lines, conservative darling Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., huddled with liberal firebrand Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., to craft a sweeping bill to fix the broken immigration system. Republicans from South Carolina and Arizona worked with Democrats from Illinois and Colorado.

Whether you liked it or not, whether you supported the specifics of the bill produced by what became known as the Gang of 8, it was fascinating to watch those senators from very different parts of the political spectrum come together and push that contentious bill through the Senate.

The bill died an unceremonious death in the House, where Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, never let it reach the floor for a vote. But now, with Congress narrowly averting a partial government shutdown over an immigration battle and finding itself days away from another potential shutdown, it's becoming clear that those were actually the best of times.

How did it come to this?

Republicans in Congress are using a Department of Homeland Security funding bill to block President Obama's executive actions to protect up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Obama has vowed to veto any bill that lands on his desk blocking his actions, and the Republican leadership insists it won't fund fully fund Homeland Security until Obama's actions are halted. They agreed to a one-week funding bill late Friday but must fight it out again this week.

Many will blame congressional Republicans for this situation. It's the Republican-led House, after all, that refused to take up the Senate bill last year. It was the House leadership that called immigration legislation a top priority but then refused to let its members vote on its own immigration bills, they'll say. It's Republican leadership in Congress that has now tied funding for Homeland Security to its attack on Obama's immigration plan, leading us toward this looming shutdown.

Many will blame Obama. He's the one who destroyed any level of trust with Congress by unilaterally trying to protect up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation, they'll say. While other presidents have rightfully focused their limited enforcement dollars to deport certain portions of the undocumented immigrant population, Obama is the first to try to give 5 million of them work permits and Social Security numbers.

During past fights, the inability of Congress and the White House to figure out a way forward on immigration resulted in nothing more than a dead bill. Sure, undocumented immigrants were crushed by each loss and critics of illegal immigration celebrated each time, but there was no collateral damage. Undocumented immigrants remained undocumented and life went on as usual.

Now, Coast Guardsmen, Border Patrol agents, Transportation Security Administration screeners and Secret Service agents could get caught in the crossfire. About 30,000 Homeland Security employees would be furloughed indefinitely if Washington can't figure out how to avoid a shutdown. Another 200,000 would be forced to report to work with no pay.

All those people who've dedicated their careers to protecting the U.S. could become the victims in a battle that has become more political than practical.

I've been covering immigration for years now and have watched firsthand the Washington gridlock that has killed every attempt to find a sensible solution. During the last two years, we all doubted whether the animosity prevalent in the 113th Congress could lead to any kind of meaningful, long-term immigration solution. But after seeing where the 114th Congress is going, where the usual federal inaction on immigration may be escalating to the point of doing real harm to national security, I can't believe I find myself wishing we were back in those headier times.

Miami-based Gomez covers immigration for USA TODAY.