Republicans Reconsidering Immigration Reform
Posted on Monday 28, January 2013
President Obama has been in favor of what he calls comprehensive immigration reform for a long time, which would include creating a “path” to citizenship or legal residency for millions of illegal immigrants.
Republicans have resisted for years, arguing that what Obama wants would be a form of amnesty for unlawful entry into the United States. But the November election showed that this position has alienated many Hispanic voters, who believe the GOP is against them. One result was that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who called for “self-deportation” of illegal immigrants, lost the Latino vote to Obama by more than 40 percentage points, a major reason for Romney’s defeat.
Now, Republicans are rethinking the whole issue. Among those expected to take the lead are Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a rising star in the GOP, and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Budget Committee and the Republican vice-presidential nominee this year. It’s interesting and significant that both Rubio and Ryan are considered possible presidential candidates in 2016. They seem to realize that the GOP needs to make inroads with Hispanic voters in order to recapture the White House in four years.
There is still strong sentiment in the Republican Party to resist comprehensive reform that is seen to reward people who entered the country illegally by giving them a chance to gain citizenship before those who followed the rules. “The smart Republicans know they can’t leave this hanging out there,” says Democratic pollster Geoff Garin. “But the Republicans are still very divided against themselves.”
Members of Congress are very aware of the surge in the Latino population that makes alienating this segment of voters close to political suicide. The Hispanic population is projected to increase from 17 percent of the total in the United States today to 31 percent in 2060, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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