Sure the brakes are on. Just like the light bulb ban, when people learned about it and made noise, the ban was rescinded, ten guess what! It was put back in when nobody was looking.
Expect the same with amnesty for criminals.
Exactly. They haven’t stopped pushing this for decades now, they want it bad, and their backers are losing patience, considering all the money they’ve forked out over the years to get it. The incumbents don’t need to care if they ever get the majority or the White House again, as long as they keep their own jobs. Which, looking at the likes of McCain and Lindsey Graham, they seem to be able to do just fine.