Posted on 03/29/2006 9:01:48 PM PST by Giant Conservative
The immigration and security debate, which has sparked huge demonstrations in recent days by Hispanic residents of cities around the country, comes at a crucial moment for both parties.
Over the last three national elections, persistent appeals by Mr. Bush and other Republican leaders have helped double their party's share of the Hispanic vote, to more than 40 percent in 2004 from about 20 percent in 1996. As a result, Democrats can no longer rely on the country's 42 million Hispanic residents as a natural part of their base.
In a lunch meeting of Senate Republicans this week, Senator Mel Martinez of Florida, the only Hispanic Republican in the Senate, gave his colleagues a stern warning. "This is the first issue that, in my mind, has absolutely galvanized the Latino community in America like no other," Mr. Martinez said he told them.
The anger among Hispanics has continued even as the Senate Judiciary Committee proposed a bill this week that would allow illegal immigrants a way to become citizens. The backlash was aggravated, Mr. Martinez said in an interview, by a Republican plan to crack down on illegal immigrants that the House approved last year.
The outcome remains to be seen.
Polls show large majorities of the public both support tighter borders as a matter of national security, and oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants. Many working-class Democrats resent what they see as a continuing influx of cheap labor.
The stakes are enormous because Hispanics now account for one of every eight United States residents, and for about half the recent growth in the country's population.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The dont see it as anti-hispanic they see it as limiting hispanic immigration to reasonable numbers. They want essentially open immigration for hispanics and vote for politicians who they think will provide that.
If you rounded all of them up in trucks and took them all back to Mexico, I wouldn't object at all. They came her illegally--why not seek the enforcement on them at these rallies? I'm sure there's a quite a few at these events. To protest in a country that you're illegally in is the epitome of unthankfulness--sure, go ahead and boot their worthless a**es out of here...
I understand that. I guess I should have been more direct. I meant that they do vote. Moter-voter allows them to in many places. CA Freepers have shown that they simply need to sign an affadavit there. Pretty tough for someone who's giving a false address eh? It is said that Bob Dornan lost his election in CA due to the illegal vote.
I agree with your sentiments. I think it would be far more effective to go after the employers however. Dry up the jobs and the illegals will deport themselves quickly at their own expense. Build the wall. Man the wall. Deport the ones that are found in routine ways. No need to waste money looking for them. H.R. 4437 is pretty close to what we need to get started. Bring in legal workers who have been waiting and doing it legally to replace the illegals.
Would you sit in my garage and call yourself a Corvette? I've always wanted one. ;^P
That's what makes Republican support for amnesty so insane. These illegals are dependent on government services and will naturally vote for the party that wants to fund or expand those services. Amnesty for 11 million illegals will give the Democrats a lock on the White House and Congress for generations.
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