Immigration: Realism, Rhetoric, and the Republicans
One issue that is starting, slowly, to benefit from the brutal presidential debate schedule is immigration. Candidates on the Republican side are still far away from a clear-headed discussion about the root causes—and possible solutions—for the illegal immigration mess. They continue to try to out-tough each other on border security—Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) said “my fence” on the California-Mexico border is impenetrable to all but Olympian athletes; Rudy Giuliani said his proposed technologically advanced virtual wall will really put a stop to the illegal flows—but the New Hampshire debate last night made a small start in delving into some of the challenges facing policymakers. Mitt Romney went after Giuliani’s policies as mayor of New York, saying he helped spur a flood of illegal aliens into the “sanctuary city.” Giuliani responded to follow-up questioning that as a practical matter it would have been foolhardy, and dangerous, for a large-city mayor to turn on illegal immigrants reporting crimes and that his humane policies toward illegal immigrants made New York safer. Sen. John McCain(R-AZ), seen as battered by the Republican base for his support of comprehensive immigration reforms, returned to his vigorous defense of reforms. He said:
“We were trying to find a way to identify, track, deport those necessary, and those who have been here for some 40 or 50 years then give them, after everybody else who’s come here legally, a place in line behind everybody else.”
Romney followed with a rough, rule-of-law message:
“You have to end sanctuary cities. You have to cut back on federal funding to cities that continue to call themselves sanctuary cities and welcome people in, as New York has done. And you have to say to employers that hire people illegally, ‘That’s also going to be sanctioned.’ This is the way we’re going to have to finally end it.”
There was still no insight into the economic conditions in the United States that encourage and drive, and thrive on illegal immigrant labor, according to many economists. There was still no meaningful discussion of how to encourage illegal immigrants—most of them from Mexico—to stay in Mexico by spurring reforms there. But last night’s debate did provide some of the best discussion to date among Republican candidates about the problem and its complicating factors. It is an issue Republicans will need to sort out soon, according to recent op-eds in the Dallas Morning News, Philadelphia Inquirer, and San Diego Union-Tribune, all of which see serious trouble for the GOP among Hispanic voters if its leaders do not soften their rhetoric on immigration.
