Earlier this year, a group calling itself the Minutemen raised the visibility of the issue on the national stage (as well as the federal government’s lack of attention to it) by conducting a month long citizen border enforcement campaign along a border crossing hot-spot in Arizona. The effort met with some practical success (illegals started crossing over somewhere else) and tremendous PR success, so much so that one of its own is now running for Congress in California.
Add to this the fact that last week Texas officially became a “majority-minority” state in demographic terms – again raising the issue – as most of the minority population growth has been the result of years of illegal immigration.
From an electoral standpoint, the GOP’s problem is that of division between social and cultural conservatives vs. economic conservatives – particularly the business community. Big business likes the status quo as it amounts to government subsidized labor. Social and cultural conservatives oppose it for a variety of reasons. Among them, that the immigration rates have far outpaced the country’s ability to assimilate them into its culture, it artificially depresses wages and adds to the cost of local government in terms of schools, social service programs, health care and law enforcement – all of which impact the overall tax burden, (read “property taxes”).
The issue impacts the GOP’s credibility as the “law and order” party, insofar as the party doesn’t push for initiatives to strictly enforce the immigration laws already on the books, not to mention push for increased immigration control measures.
What we need is a comprehensive approach that can take advantage of the momentum of public opinion surrounding the issue that would attack both the supply and demand side. This would mean better border security (which coincidentally also impacts national security, another GOP issue), stricter penalties for hiring illegals, quicker deportations and better overall enforcement of immigration laws.
Without such a comprehensive approach, it is doubtful much will change for the better. The key to such an approach (from a Republican standpoint) is the business community. No doubt big business would initially pooh-pooh such an approach, but they must be made to understand that if they don’t work with the other elements of the party toward a constructive solution, then the party runs a serious risk of stunting its future growth at a minimum and quite possibly losing serious support amongst grassroots conservatives in the future. That means losing elections, and where would that leave them – or any conservatives for that matter?
The bomb is ticking.
Article comments
1 - RJ
Great post.
You left something out, however. The GOP knows that Hispanics/Latinos are the largest minority group in the country, and they are growing.
The GOP, for decades, has been making half-hearted attempts to increase their % of the black vote. It hasn't happened, and shows no signs of happening in the near future.
However, the H/L vote has shown some signs of moving in a pro-Republican direction, and the national GOP wants to keep up the momentum.
Therefore, the national GOP is VERY concerned about proposing or supporting laws that would be viewed as "anti-immigrant."
Large chunks of the electorate felt alienated by the fact that neither major political party was addressing this hugely important issue.
But now the Dems have made their move. The governors of both NM and Arizona (both Dems) have taken a tougher stance on the Mexico-US border.
This could lead to even more H/L fleeing from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party.
Or, it could mean the Dems will steal social conservative single-issue voters away from the GOP.
This is all very interesting. Time will tell which side has the upper-hand...
2 - Steve S
The governors of both NM and Arizona are doing what they need to do, the government does need to do more so there is not the need for civilians like the MinuteMen to have to be there. Kudos to the governors for stepping up to the plate.
I have no problem with tighter borders, I would love it, in fact. But I don't think it should be citizens doing it.
In terms of the Hispanic/Latino vote that RJ talks about, my thought is that there are enough within our country now, and have been here long enough, to no longer be single issue voters. They can be won, like any other group, with the appropriate promises of jobs, health care, protection, and opportunities for a better life.
3 - George
Democratic legislators in Colorado are trying to get out in front of the immigration issue, too.
The Cherry Creek News reports, "Colorado legislators are taking a more serious look at immigration than the recent grandstanding and demogoguery on the issue.
At the request of the majority House and Senate leadership, The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) will hold a regional seminar for state legislators on “Immigration and the States” in Colorado.
Immigration is a growing issue that needs thoughtful discussion based on reliable information. NCSL has invited policy experts from across the country to inform lawmakers about this issue and how it affects their state. Legislators have been invited from four neighboring states-Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah-they will review national policy, and hear from policy leaders about different aspects of immigration including the past and future of federal immigration policy and the economic effects of immigrants in the workforce."
the story is at http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com
Link to Cherry Creek News
4 - mihos
You do see how the right is working its fancy footing in the shadow boxing tournament don't you?
This is all about diverting American attention away from the war and giving incoming veterans something to do when they get home. Nationalization is the first of the last three steps of a civilization.