Amnesty Would Spell Trouble for GOP in Future



Amnesty Would Spell Trouble for GOP in Future

“The recent Senate debate over immigration reform focused mostly on three issues: 1) the economic effects of legalizing millions of currently illegal immigrants while also increasing the rate of future immigration, 2) the possibility of achieving real border security and 3) the ethical question of offering the reward of citizenship to those who entered the country illegally.
Beneath it all was another factor, never far from lawmakers’ minds, but much less discussed: the electoral effects of reform,” says Byron York.

“The GOP faces a hard enough job improving its standing among the 15 million new potential immigrant voters who will be here if nothing is changed in the law. Adding another 17 million through comprehensive immigration reform would steepen the hill considerably. When Republicans debate the politics of reform, those are numbers they should remember.”

Pro-Amnesty Hecklers Disrupt Value Voters Conference

“Sen. Ted Cruz’s speech at the Value Voters Summit was repeatedly interrupted by immigration activists Friday morning — a rare flare-up for an issue that has largely laid dormant in Washington since the House of Representatives abandoned bipartisan efforts on immigration reform,” Buzzfeed reports.

“At least six protesters took turns standing up and interrupting Cruz’s speech, each beginning their comments with some version of, ‘Senator Cruz, why do you oppose a pathway to citizenship…” In each case, the crowd of conservatives drowned out the activists as security guards escorted them out.”

Immigration is One Reason America Ranks Poorly in Skilled Workers

Reihan Salam at National Review quotes from a new report ranking America among other first world nations by worker skills. “The US did manage to finish above average in one category – the percentage of our population that is low-skilled. Thirty six million Americans, one in six adults, lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, compared with one in twenty adults in Japan,” the New America Foundation report said.

Salam notes, “Immigration policy is one of the central ways we shape the future workforce, both directly — immigrants who arrive in the U.S. as adults immediately impact the skill distribution — and indirectly — the children of low-skilled immigrants are less likely to achieve academically than the children of skilled immigrants. Yet [the report author]only refers to immigrants once in her post — she briefly mentions educational programs that can benefit disadvantaged adults, including immigrants. The fact that McCarthy contrasts the U.S. with Japan, however, is telling. The foreign-born share of the U.S. population is, according to the OECD, 13.7 percent while the foreign-born share of the Japanese population is 1.7 percent.

Some Evangelical Groups Prepare New Amnesty Push

“Evangelical Christians will kick off a campaign on Saturday as part of an ongoing effort to encourage Congress to make changes to immigration laws. The Evangelical Immigration Table’s ‘Pray4Reform: Gathered Together in Jesus’ Name’ campaign will include more than 300 events in 40 states through Oct. 20,” Dispatch.com reports.

Visa Enforcement Hits Infosys Bottom Line in Earnings Miss

“Bangalore-based Infosys posted a scanty 1.2% increase in net profit for the three months to Sept. 30, falling short of analysts’ already-lowered estimates,” QZ.com writes. “The earnings miss was largely due to a 2.19 billion rupee provision for ‘visa related matters,’ stemming from a US investigation into whether Infosys broke immigration rules by bringing in full-time workers from India under short-term ‘business visitor’ visas.”

Bipartisan Policy Center Says Administrative Amnesty is a Mistake

“A bipartisan think tank is pushing back against immigration advocates who want President Obama to use his executive authority to expand a program to defer the deportations of undocumented immigrants. The nonprofit Bipartisan Policy Center said Thursday that doing so would undermine the public’s faith in immigration laws and undercut the legislative process in Congress, where lawmakers are debating a broader immigration overhaul,” the Washington Post writes.

“In a statement, the think tank’s immigration task force said that using ‘the president’s executive authority to sidestep Congress would undermine that trust and confirm the fears of those who believe the government is not serious about upholding all elements of reform, particularly the implementation of stronger border security measures and workplace screening of undocumented individuals.'”

More coverage at the Huffington Post as well.

UK Government Readies New, Strict Immigration Enforcement Measures

“In an attempt to counter concerns among British voters that foreigners are placing an unnecessary strain on public services at a time of spending cuts, the government Thursday published its Immigration Bill, which is designed to make it easier to remove illegal immigrants and to prevent them from using state-funded services such as health care,” the Wall Street Journal writes.

“The bill’s initiatives include a measure to require private landlords to check on the immigration status of tenants and to restrict access to bank accounts for people who don’t have permission to be in the U.K.”

About Author

avatar

Dan is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)'s President after joining the organization in 1982. He has testified more than 50 times before Congress, and been cited in the media as "America's best-known immigration reformer." Dan has appeared on virtually every significant TV and radio news/talk program in America and, in addition to being a contributing editor to ImmigrationReform.com, has contributed commentaries to a vast number of print media outlets.

12 Comments

  1. avatar

    Well, if they do manage to pass AMNESTY (GOD forbid), I don’t think it will be as wonderful as many of them think. This country is going broke. Employers are looking for cheap, cheap labor. When they start to drop them from the employment rolls for their distance cousin who has entered the country illegally and will gladly work for low wages. Low wages to them is great from coming from no wages. What will the now legalized citizens do when they cannot get work?

  2. avatar

    As an African American you show compassion since your ancestors went through the same thing as the dreamers and similar to the illegals…..as per the 21st century…

  3. avatar
    cynthia curran on

    Cruz doesn’t want citizenship but wants them to be legalized to work in the US, so your article about the protesters leaves out one important thing which most illegals want is to work here rather than become citizens like the protesters.

  4. avatar
    cynthia curran on

    Just as the GOP Has the Tea Party Section Destroying its Credibility On Public Polls Over the Government Shutdown and Obamacare

    They also have amnesty destroying its credibility with the American voters too.
    This is true, the Republicans vote against it and don’t do too much against it unless it a state like Arizona or Alabama. They have people like Ted Cruz that opposed it but really support it. He told the New York Times that he favors legalization without citizenship and no caps on legal immigration from Mexico, China and India. In fact Republicans could have gain supporters if they were more consistent.

  5. avatar
    cynthia curran on

    The GOP is indeed foolish to think the answer to their future electoral problems lies in amnesty. It simply is not going to happen with the handful of votes they may pick up from Latinos. They have to attract women and younger people and independents. That is where the votes are. Chris Christie is governor of a mostly Democratic state like New Jersey because people see him as a moderate Republican
    I agree with you:however the moderate Republicans are bad on immigration. Years ago Pete Wilson was moderate on some Republican issues and was the last Republican governor in California that dealt with the immigration issue. Jan Brewer who is a moderate by Republican standards held up the Arizona laws. Rick Perry darling of conservative Republicans has done almost nothing, his state increase about 700,000 illegal immigrants since he started in 2000 or 2001 and he just makes a little noise about securing the border and deporting a handful of people but not hitting the construction industry in his state that employs most of them.

  6. avatar

    Just as the GOP Has the Tea Party Section Destroying its Credibility On Public Polls Over the Government Shutdown and Obamacare

    They also have amnesty detroying its credibility with the American voters too.

  7. avatar

    Please let me know if I am wrong, but I thought that Churches/Religious groups, etc., are not suppose to get involved in politics because they are exempt from taxes and their tax exempt status could be revoked. Like I said, I could be wrong, but I do not believe they should take and express their political stance and then twist it to a biblical theme.

    • avatar

      Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) describes some of the organizations that are exempt from taxation (and eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, per IRC §170(c)(2)): “Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable…purposes…no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation…and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”

      So there cannot be an attempt to influence legislation (aka lobbying) that is a substantial part of the church’s activities. And there cannot be any direct or indirect participation in any political campaign in support of or in opposition to a candidate. See IRS Publication 1828.

  8. avatar

    Thank you as I have said this for years and have never understood how people (all people) can complain, yet hire, rent to, or purchase their wares. When I boycott, I boycott, period

  9. avatar

    Really. So this is now a BLACK issue? Sorry, I thought it was a US Issue…. Last time I checked we had whites, American Chinese, oh, and let’s not forget, the Native Americans, the only true Americans out of the whole lot.
    While you go on a “black” rant, I point out to you, that the Illegal issue affects EVERYONE, not just the blacks. It begins at the lower levels, but filters all the way up to the very heart of the economy. While I will agree that they do compete with you for the “Welfare” dollar, I don’t really think that it’s solely “your” demographic that can lay claim to being the hardest hit. I also agree that we need to get it under control, they need to be sent back, & if they want to come here they need to come through the right way, legally, & only if they can support themselves financially, & have an exit ticket to go home when the visa expires. No welfare, if they can’t support themselves……they get shipped back to wherever they came from. Kids born here? No …. Not unless the parents work & pay taxes.. No more free education, no welfare, no free housing, medical, whatever. Actually, I personally think that should apply to everyone, legal or illegal, no free rides for ANYONE…….

  10. avatar

    The GOP is indeed foolish to think the answer to their future electoral problems lies in amnesty. It simply is not going to happen with the handful of votes they may pick up from Latinos. They have to attract women and younger people and independents. That is where the votes are. Chris Christie is governor of a mostly Democratic state like New Jersey because people see him as a moderate Republican.