Audio: Listen to the interview
Is immigration a dead issue now in politics? After Sen. John McCain acknowledged his stance on the issue nearly killed his campaign last summer, his campaign manager now says they've reached "convergence," where the Republican Party shares the same view. That, said Rick Davis, the campaign manager, has helped immigration "mature" into a non-issue:
"I do believe that the convergence of our party on sort of a single approach to immigration is part of what has done that. In other words, today, there's a different debate going on than there was a year ago. And I think that part of that is because Senator McCain went out and exercised a position on this issue, vigorously, that didn't work. And he was not able to pass a piece of legislation that addressed the issue in away that he thought would benefit the country the most. Part of the message he got was how little confidence the American people have in the institution of Congress and the administration to implement that law. I don't think there's much other reason — you can debate the merits of it from a public policy point of view, but clearly the American public opposed it because I don't think they thought anything was going to get done. Now the issue is, we need to exert every resource we can as a government, whether Congress or the administration, to get control of our border before we can effectuate a real change in our immigration plans."
"It doesn't even come up in conversations. You hear a lot of things, immigration's not one of the hot topics anymore. So wihtin our own party I think that issue has matured into something that's less divisive."
— Stephen Dinan, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (8)
If the GOP ruling elite truly believes that illegal immigration and border control is a "non-issue" they are completely disconnected from reality. It is a frontburner issue with the general population. If you don't believe it, just read the letters to the editor in a variety of local newspapers. As for me, it is the tiebreaker issue when I vote.
Posted by Michael Harrison | February 14, 2008 6:33 PM
This is the reason for congressional numbers being below the presidents. The congress is not listening to the people. They make arrogant assumptions about their ability to know what the people want, get slapped down and then continue down the same path. How do they get reelected? They have done nothing for seven years but blame the president for their impotence and continue with endless hearings, commissions and ineffective resolutions and want to get reelected? And, McCain, Clinton and Obama are from that same do nothing congress. Maryland set a precedence, they voted out emcumbents, let us hope it continues across the country. It's either that or congressional term limits.
Posted by Larry Stone | February 15, 2008 1:40 AM
Agree with Harrison.... immigration is more of a discussion topic among people that the pols know or recognize. Also, check the traffic on email. The pols would be surprised. It will be a BIG mistake to not address the issue.
Posted by Bill H. | February 15, 2008 7:36 AM
Immigration is not an issue. Illegal immigration should never go away as an issue, until it is reigned in. Shut the freebie spigot, penalized employers, and use military units as enforcement agents from San Diego to El Paso. In short, make our Southern border look just like Mexico's Southern border. The problematic illegals already here would go home with little delay, if their parasitic presence became a bit more uncomfortable.
Posted by pop seal | February 15, 2008 9:08 AM
The McCain campaign is babbling nonsense. Immigration is THE issue.I vote on the basis of this issue and am as fervent as any NRA or right to lifer.I am leaning to not voting for president because none of the three remaining candidates wants border security and to cut back ALL immigration.Obama is the worse-- but Clinton and Amnesty McCain are little better.
Posted by Charles | February 15, 2008 9:24 AM
They know illegal immigration is still a top subject. They think if they keep repeating it isn't then they will fool enough peoople into voting for them. And since McCain will probably be the nominee it may have worked on some people. But I feel McCain is a traitor to his party and to America and I will not vote for him until he puts it in writing that he will enforce the immigration laws. Take down the bird feeder. McCain's amigo Hernandez says only 29% of Americans are against amnesty. Was that poll done at the Mexican radio station "Invasion"? Tell Fox and Calderone to build companies in Mexico that will give their people decent wages. Aren't they ashamed that they let American companies come to Mexico and pay their people slaves wages. Arent they ashamed their people have to risk their lives crossing the border just to feed their children? Tell them to go home and fix their own country. We are not going to let them come here and turn America into a Mexico where the wealthy sit in their lavish homes and look down on poverty. America better wake up. Obama, Clinton and McCain are owned by Wall Street and that is why they are for amnesty. McCain's compassion is as phony as Hillarys' tears.
Posted by Myke | February 19, 2008 12:55 AM
I would hope that Republicans could come to a consensus about this issue. But I fear they have not. McCain says he wants what is best for the country, but he doesn't live in the areas of the country that have been over taken by Illegal immigration. But the illegal immigrants need to go back and apply. They should have no benefit for breaking our laws. Their children (since the supreme court ruling) says that these are citizens. Frankly, parents are responsible for their children. If the parent must go, the children must go (they would be allowed back in much more easily when they are adults).
If he wants to expand legal immigration, I fully support it. As long as need for the jobs last and the people coming here follow our laws, I embrace them. But their children should not be citizens even if born here. No other countries offer this "special" effect and we should not. Legal immigrants should even be able to apply for citizenship by learning our language and citizenship rules.
The devil is in the details, and we have seen that McCain does not have a good grasp of the problems the inactivity of our government for the last twenty years have created. I hope we can get this issue behind us so that the hard working immigrants will not get stuck in our country as second class citizens.
Posted by John fox | February 19, 2008 1:07 PM
Who's gonna pick the tomatoes?
Americans generally will not, and certainly they will not for the wages that some Mexicans will. We need these people who are willing to work in a free market without an artificially set "minimum wage." Thus, I favor a guest worker program.
Some time ago, pre-9/11, in a room full of immigration lawyers, I was the only one who voted for open borders. I even presented a preamble for the national organization that we should lobby for the day when we would no longer be needed. That got nowhere because, you see, immigration lawyers are on the side of immigrants only up to a point.
People and all life forms need to be able to migrate freely. That's why the border fence idea is so wrong in my opinion. Remember the Berlin Wall? They too rationalized it by saying they were keeping others out and not the reverse. Unfortunately, after 9/11, we need to monitor who's coming and going as much as possible, but that will never be perfect. European countries have no such fences now to my knowledge, but the best example is how the United States functions. Individual states each have their own laws, but we operate under federal law as well. Does that mean we will need a better functioning world government? I think the answer is yes.
Our social systems in the U.S. cannot handle vast numbers of participants though. So what's wrong with having American ID cards that would identify citizens? We already have drivers' licenses, social security cards, etc. I don't favor a "path to citizenship" (an unfortunate choice of words because many Americans feel there are too many "paths" here already.) Also, the immigrant community shot itself in the foot with demonstrations. At least one nonprofit agency lost its funding as a result. "Today we march, tomorrow we ........." (vote, riot--you fill in the blank.) Some whites were threatened by memories of civil rights riots, and some blacks may not have liked their legacy being usurped.
The 14th Amendment gave birthright citizenship to protect slaves. It should not be available to any woman who makes it here and drops a kid. An immigration lawyer in Florida says that many Mexican women sit in the parking lot at the best hospital until the kid is crowning, at which point it becomes a medical emergency and gains her admittance. So there are limitations. There should be freedom of movement but not free movement.
_________________
providing immigration services worldwide for 25 years
Posted by doug holmes | March 5, 2008 6:04 PM