REID GROWS IN OFFICE (Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993)

Like Gephart and Daschle, as Senate minority leader Harry Reid has risen in leadership, he's gotten progressively more progressive. It's interesting to contrast his zealous defense of the McCain-Kennedy amnesty to his earlier views; he introduced the "Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993" that would have cut immigration by two-thirds and, in its original version, denied automatic citizenship to the children of illegal aliens. This from his press release on the bill in 1993:

"Our borders have overflowed with illegal immigrants placing tremendous burdens on our criminal justice system, schools and social programs. The Immigration and Naturalization Service needs the ability to step up enforcement. Our federal wallet is stretched to the limit by illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits often without paying any taxes. Safeguards like welfare and free medical care are in place to boost Americans in need of short-term assistance. These programs were not meant to entice freeloaders and scam artists from around the world. Even worse, Americans have seen heinous crimes committed by individuals who are here illegally."

"Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993" that would have cut immigration by two-thirds and, in its original version, denied automatic citizenship to the children of illegal aliens.

"Our borders have overflowed with illegal immigrants placing tremendous burdens on our criminal justice system, schools and social programs. The Immigration and Naturalization Service needs the ability to step up enforcement. Our federal wallet is stretched to the limit by illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits often without paying any taxes. Safeguards like welfare and free medical care are in place to boost Americans in need of short-term assistance. These programs were not meant to entice freeloaders and scam artists from around the world.

Even worse, Americans have seen heinous crimes committed by individuals who are here illegally."

Harry Reid April 3, 2006:

". . . Immigrants help create more jobs for American workers. They help expand our economy and provide labor for new businesses that will also employ Americans. Immigrant consumers spend money that keeps American businesses going. Immigrants employed at companies that also employ Americans, help to make sure that American jobs stay in America, rather than being outsourced to other countries where there is cheaper labor.

UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research published a report in 2003 concluding that non-native Hispanic immigrants helped drive the Las Vegas economy, generating $15.5 billion in spending, contributing $829 million in state and local taxes and helping to create more than 200,000 jobs.

Finally, I want to talk about the support of the religious community for the reforms we are discussing. As I mentioned, one of the people who joined me last fall to emphasize his support for comprehensive immigration reform was the Bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas. Bishop Pepe and others in the religious community are behind this effort because they know that reforming our immigration laws is the right thing to do.

We have U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are separated from their family members for years because of long processing backlogs and limits on family immigration.

We have eleven million people living in the shadows of our society. Many of these immigrants have been here for years, have children and spouses who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, pay taxes, own property, and are active, valuable members of our community. Virtually all of them came here to work.

Our immigration laws – in many instances - force them to live in hiding. They live in fear every day that they will be deported and separated from their families and their communities.

For those people who are already here, I believe that we have to provide an opportunity for those who work hard, pay taxes, play by the rules, commit no crimes, learn English and contribute to our economic growth, to earn the right to stay here.

We should encourage people to work here and then go home, which many people want to do and used to do, before we made it so dangerous to go back and forth across the border.

But for people who decide they want to stay here, they should not be allowed to jump to the front of the line, but should be allowed to earn their legal status here if they pay fines and penalties, work steadily for several years, learn English, and pass background checks.

As Americans, I don’t think we want to forcibly uproot so many people who have put down roots in their communities, who have come here for the same reason our parents and grandparents did – to make better lives for themselves and for their families."

Contact Harry Reid in Washtington at: (202) 224-9521 also (202) 224-2939 (Communications Center)

Reid's website: http://reid.senate.gov/

I believe that Senator Sessions of Alabama did bust Reid on this today, and then Reid basically said (in that really annoying tone of his) that his biggest regret in his career as a legislator was his earlier efforts and rhetoric on immigration. It almost sounded like he might cry!

He is completely full of s**t of course, as his views have changed for one reason and one only; at the time of his earlier remarks Hispanics were not that significant to Nevada politics, whereas now they are. Back then, both the legal and illegal immigrant population was fairly small in Nevada; now they are quite large. Had it turned out that most naturalized immigrants and their families voted Republican, then Reid's views likely would not have changed, but since the opposite is true, then Reid has changed his tune. Its as simple as that.

Though actually, there is a bit more to it than that. Since Reid has sought and gained leadership in the party, his need to embrace mass immigration has been even more paramount. Senator Dorgan of ND must not be harboring such ambitions at the moment, as it would require him to drop his very commendable opposition to a guest worker program (its sad that he has sounded more reasonable in this debate than most Republicans in the Senate).

So to review, Reid's 'evolution' can be attributed to the following; (1) the growing clout of Hispanics in Nevada (2) the knowledge that more immigrants eventually equals more Democratic voters, not just in Nevada, but nationally, thus possibly paving the way towards a demographic shift that will give permanent power to the Dems, and that of course trumps all past concerns about its effect on the nation and those at the lower rungs of the economic ladder (3) The fact that a leadership position requires championing the greater leftwing goals over those of his constituents.

I'll finish by relaying something I remember reading, and it greatly illustrates #1. Back in 1998, Reid was in a tough reelection battle against Republican challenger Jon Ensign. It was a toss-up, and right before the election boxer Oscar De La Hoya campaigned for Reid with latinos, and some thought it played a key role in Reid's very narrow 428 vote margin victory. Ensign of course won an open seat two years later, but Reid no doubt came out of that thinking that his future depended on more and more pandering.

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