Both Republicans and Democrats alike seem to be rallying round the same talking point when referring to "comprehensive immigration reform" in the wake of the Boston bombings — something along the lines of "we need to press forward; we'll be better off knowing who all these people are."
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), member of the Gang of Eight, has taken that line, as explained by Jon Feere in his April 26 blog for the Center.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) did, too: "If we fix our immigration system, it may actually help us understand who all is here, why they're here and what legal status they have."
Likewise, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, according to the Washington Post: "'We need to bring out of the shadows the roughly 11 million residents of this country who are here illegally,' Carney said. 'The process of moving along the earned path to citizenship, and the various hurdles that have to be cleared in that process, allows for much more information to be known by the relevant authorities and agencies about these individuals, and that's very important.'"
Guess what, gentlemen? The government "knew about" the Tsarnaev family — in fact, gave them refuge, and then "a path to citizenship". Is the country better for having done so?