Prev Next
Featured Quizzes
Politix Daily Headlines
Featured Debates
Issues

See all 19 issues

IMMIGRATION

GOP Begins Selling Immigration Reform To Party

Not all members are receptive, but Dems have their own conflicts too

Next>

by PolitixMayday

Staff Writer t

Image: AP

Legalizing illegal immigrants would help grow the economy, boost wages, and add tax revenue. That isn't a Democrat line, or even Libertarian line; it's the line GOP leaders are adopting in order to further immigration reform in 2013, according to Politico. 

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a favored Republican presidential candidate for 2016, tells Politico that an updated immigration system could propel more people out of poverty and help boost the economy. 

That may be true, but both Republican and Democratic parties are puzzling over how to resolve inner-party differences on immigration reform. 

Rubio wants to approach the issue piece by piece, starting with reform for children of illegal immigrants and ending with a guest worker program. 

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) wants tighter borders, as well as an end to birthright citizenship, and to replace it with a point based green card system. Graham told Politico such a system would prioritize the economic needs of the US. Others, such as Representative Steve King (R-IA), resist reform, suggesting it would lead to amnesty.

Democrats are likewise reconciling piecemeal reform - which is favored by Democrats looking to negotiate with Republicans - with those pushing for overhaul who say the entire system is broken.

Via Politico
Like this article? B Vote Up
?

Should the GOP push for immigration reform, or are they acting too hastily?

101 Comments (view in Forum)

  • Hireman
    !
    It's like with any major wound, you have to stop the bleeding, then you can deal with the rest. Once we stop the flow, we can then figure out how to cope with the rest. Agreed.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    @Hireman Absolutely nothing changes as long as Corporate America continues to hire illegals. Wal Mart has been caught dozens of times with hundreds of illegals each time. In just one state. When the fines make it not worth while to hire illegals it will stop. Then the border stops. Not until.
  • RobertJHarsh
    !
    I agree partially. On a certain date, border is LOCKED DOWN. No more illegals and aggressive penalties for violators, including the employers. Now for the current employers of illegals, I would assess a 10% fine of their business and call it a day. As for people allowed to stay, 1) LEARN ENGLISH, 2) Pass a citizenship test, given only in English, within 5 years, and 3) LEARN ENGLISH. It is not racist to make people learn the language of this country.
  • Hireman
    !
    @jessejaymes It's not just corporate America, it's small businesses, and even individuals. The true solution is to fully close the border, while penalizing violators, and enforcing e-verify. If people can't physically enter, the flow will stop. Let's not forget, you can come here illegally, not work, and still live and benefit.

  • Load more replies >

  • MRMacrum
    !
    In that by calling for it so soon after they lost an over whelming majority of the latino vote, I think it is stupid of them to get overly aggressive in calling for reform so soon. This move smacks of panic, desperation and of being totally insincere. In my mind, taking some time to formulate a clear plan before shooting from the hip would have been a better course.
  • PNWest
    !
    Almost from the time the polls closed on Nov 6th the GOP has been trying to find a way to pander to the Latin American vote. They are beginning to realize that 2012 was the last Presidential election that their traditional southern strategy had a chance of working.
  • DerivePI
    !
    Actually, the GOP noticably pandered to the hispanic vote during the convention. Its just that the Repubs don't do race baiting, division and subjugation nearly as well as their counterparts.
  • PNWest
    !
    @DerivePI The GOP doesn't do race baiting well? The entire southern strategy is based on it. ID checks for "suspected" illegals? President Obama is the "food stamp" president? The list goes on and on.
  • martydotcom
    !
    Live the way they threw Marco Rubio known locally as Marco the Dubious, out in the frey. He, Palin, Santorum et al can start the Science Fair debating creationism V evolution and show off how integrated the party is to people of color
  • DerivePI
    !
    @PNWest - Telling a crowd of black people "They're gonna put you back in chains." would be an example of race baiting. ID checks on account of skin color would be an example of racial profiling and labelling Obama "Food Stamp" president is not a race specific issue (unless you think only black people get food stamps - which I would label a racist perspective). As for the list - just about everytime the race card is played, Obama telling a group of blacks that the government treated blacks differently during its response to Katrina, accusing the TEA party of being a lynch mob, and even your use of the "southern strategy" to denigrate a national party. Now that I think about it, even your example of the ID laws could be considered race baiting since the laws specifically forbid officers from using racial profiling and you are specifically ignoring that aspect which I'm sure you are aware of.

    http://www.newsmax.com/US/obama-secret-video-...

  • Load more replies >

  • Ashstop
    !
    No, we do not need to become a mirror party to the democrates, just several elections ago the demise of the Democratic Party was all we heard, now they are back with the same views they were defeated with, the cycle will return to the Republican Party when enough people get tired of suffering under this present administration
  • tomincali
    !
    don't believe any of this nonsense for a second! this will just call more as did the 86 shamnesty. any talks of securing the border is more nonsense being they have not did it yet. more laws and rules are all a waste being they have shown the world nothing but utter failure on this issue.

    we have laws decades old on this that is overlooked which helped cause this huge problem and would have mostly prevented it. all their talk is just that .action on laws we already have would be a start and anything else will start the cycle over the day it starts.
  • tomincali
    !
    no matter what the dems in office add to it they will never enforce anything other than rewards to illegal aliens. history shows they never follow through on any agreement or enforcement even when voted into law. any repub who falls for this is just another lib.
  • David944
    !
    @tomincali Its coming and when it does there should be some sort of mechanism to ensure this is not repeated in 25 years. I think it is impossible to seal the southern border so there must be some other deterrent to crossing the border illegally.
  • IraqWarVeteran
    !
    Our immigration policy ought not to have an amnesty for illegal aliens. Military service is the path to the U.S. citizenship or a temporary work cards but no amnesty.
  • MRMacrum
    !
    I thought there were three and with West getting the boot, which other one is gone? Lewis or Sewell? Regardless, your point is taken for sure. If a black wants to break into politics at the national level, the hill is less steep on the Democratic side.
  • AnnieJo52
    !
    So called GOP leaders, are not representing their American voters. They care about one thing and one thing only, catering to their rich elite friends. The so called GOP leaders are the same RINOS, who have wanted Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants, forever. Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator John McCain and Senator-elect Jeff Flake are long supporters of Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants. Now, GOP Senators Marco Rubio and Senator-elect Ted Cruz, both hispanics are joining in. Why? Cheap labor for the rich. They do not want to hire now, or ever, American U.S. citizens at a liveable or fair wage.

    These rich elite corporate types want Amnesty for the 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 Illegal Immigrants, and the Tens of Millions of their family members via chain migration. They are not going to stop there. They want to add Millions more of Legal immigrants, to undercut all American workers.

    The rich elite flood our country, with Millions of Illegal Immigrants and Legal Immigrants. They force the poor working class to fight for every bottom dollar the rich elite are willing to pay.

    You really think this is about hispanics? These new slave owners, do not care what skin color the willing slaves have. They just care, that they are willing to be slaves.
  • John_Matrix
    !
    I guess it's smart that they realize they lost due to not capturing a huge voting block but I seriously doubt their sincerity. This is nothing more that's back peddling and scrambling for support to get back on top. Everybody just sells out today and refuses to truly stand by their supposed ideals.
  • BajaRat
    !
    Gee, I didn't see any "amnesty a bunch of border-jumpers" box to check on the ballot. Did I miss something? What I did see were a bunch of ignorant imbeciles re-electing the treasonous socialist scumbag in the White House because of all the freebies he's been doling out at our expense for the last 4 years. If the GOP nitwits get behind an amnesty they are finished because parasitic invaders will never vote for them and neither will patriotic conservatives. I say build a wall and deport every last one of those parasites.

    The GOP nitwits who think that getting soft on the invading hordes will somehow get them the nebulous “Hispanic vote” have another thing coming. These miscreants vote for the freebies and benefits Comrade O has been bestowing on them on the taxpayer‘s dime, that‘s all. They will never vote for the GOP. Conservative Americans won’t vote for the GOP either if they sell out to the invaders.
  • PoliticalJunkE
    !
    Hastily? No, they are pandering, and if latinos believe that the Republican party has their best interests in mind, I've got a bridge I wanna sell them. Additionally, Republicans did not only lose the latino vote. They also lost women, gay people, African Americans, and the youth. What say them about all of the other demographics they didn't carry? As if!
  • FollowTheMoney
    !
    Hell No!!! Enforce the laws we have on the books. Secure our borders now. Damn it, the professional politicians need to stop selling, period. Stop worrying about their jobs,and Do their friggin' jobs protecting this nation and it's people.
  • CAUCASIAN
    !
    Here's an idea, why don't all the people crying secession and the GOP party go and hunker down in the almost populus deserted state of Arizona and make it their own country. We then make Puerto Rico the 50th state so we do not have to change the flag and gain awsome beaches and piña coladas.
    The complainers/obstructors, bigots, racists, two faced, religious fanatics, homophobics, goody two shoes will all be happy there and the nation will progress without their nays.
  • Grubby
    !
    It won't matter what either party decides to push a year from now. Sometime in 2013 the Idiot in the White House will grant blanket amnesty, full rights, and citizenship to all the illegals to cement his base. Putting another 15 million on the government tit will guarantee democrat presidents for a long time, and probably gurantees we won't see another white male president again.
  • get_involved
    !
    In 1984, President Reagan won re-election despite losing Hispanics 2-to-1. In 1986, Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which granted amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants. In 1988, Hispanics rewarded the Republican party by voting......even more heavily Democratic. President Bush lost Hispanics by 40 points, 70 percent to 30 percent. So much for amnesty as the "single policy change" capable of "fixing the Latino problem.

    The Republicans are fools if they think passing a amnesty will get them the Hispanic vote. That will just create more Democratic voters. Hispanics support big government and that's because so many Hispanics use government programs. Hispanics have overwhelmingly favored Democratic presidential candidates for decades.
  • R Load more comments...