When Chuck Schumer released a brief list of Senate Democratic demands for reforming Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of his maneuvers just prior to the beginning of a partial government shutdown last week, he had the short-term tactical goal of looking both tough and reasonable. For the moment, it placated the Democrats, who wanted an all-out fight to radically change or even abolish ICE, while holding out the prospect of negotiations with Republicans if they agreed to separate Department of Homeland Security appropriations from the rest of a giant spending package. The gambit served its original purpose, but Schumer’s...