Illegal immigration seems to be an issue with a very clear "critical mass" of public awareness - above which it's an extremely motivating issue for Republicans, below which it can be effectively demagogued by accusations of "racist!" by Democrats.
Look at what happened to Pete Wilson. On the other hand, the various propositions in the people's republic of California limiting imigrant abuses were *overwhelmingly* approved by voters, even though then struck down by leftist judges.
The communist left is doing conservatives, and especially Republicans, a (huge) favor with their jingoist, foreign-flag waving in your face anger and anarchy. The longer the "reconquistas" drive the agenda, the quicker the American people will swing en mass, against their Che Guevera type socialist mob nitwit mentality.
The Minutemen need a lot of support, right now.
IMHO, this would be a huge boon to Republicans if GWB weren't hellbent on his closet-amnesty 'guest worker' policy. I don't understand why conservatives would even care about the rabble protesters. It's not as if anyone who would join in or sympathize with that might vote conservative anyhow.
They really need our support
http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalNewsGroups-PC.html
With this I agree. The Muslims and the Hispanics, IOW the left in general, is pushing its luck to the limit. The backlash is going to occur so fast as to give the Democrats whiplash as they try to get back ahead of a parade that just did an about face.
However, many conservatives are turning a blind eye toward the real economic problem of the years of illegal immigration and millions of illegals now embedded in our economy. We are at full employment and if we had the resources, which we don't, to magically round up and return them all today our economy would take a big hit. Many businesses would close and the construction industry would come to a near stand still.
Those Americans who can't find jobs now won't be jumping into the bus boy, maid, waitress/waiter, lawn mowing, roofing, framing, etc., jobs that are now filled by illegals no matter what they pay. If they do they will do them slovenly and resentfully. There really are jobs Americans don't want to do.
This is not an easy problem to solve. Our economy will take a big hit. It would have been far better had it never gotten to this. However, the left, especially under the Clintons, have for years been encouraging the Hispanics and the Muslims to do just as they are doing.
It is not easy to put the brakes on now and reverse course. We are in Afghanistan and Iraq now just trying to do part of the job. We, real American citizens, may be taking to the streets in this country as our military is elsewhere.