Election Results May Boost Immigration Reform in Congress
New America Media, Blog Report, Marcelo Ballve, Posted: Nov 04, 2009
Viewed through the lens of the immigration issue, the overall results of yesterday’s elections might be called a mixed bag. Republican gubernatorial candidates who promised more hardline immigration stances won races in Virginia and New Jersey.
But two vacant seats in the U.S. House of Representatives (in New York’s 23rd District and California’s 10th District) were picked up by Democrats. As I explain below, these pick-ups should make it just a bit easier for House Democrats to marshal the votes needed to advance on comprehensive immigration reform, which they have promised to do before the end of this year.
The gains couldn’t come at a better time for Democrats eager to move on immigration. Earlier this autumn, 100 House Democrats sent a letter to President Obama reaffirming their commitment to push immigration reform legislation forward. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) has said he will introduce an immigration bill as early as this month.
Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) has warned immigration reform needs to happen early next year (well ahead of Nov. 2010 mid-term elections) if it is to succeed.
Below are brief sketches of election results and how they may impact immigration policy, at the state or federal level.
-- In California’s 10th District, just east of the San Francisco Bay, California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a progressive Democrat, easily beat out Republican John Harmer.
In upstate New York’s 23rd District, retired Air Force Capt. Bill Owens, a Democrat, beat the upstart conservative candidate Doug Hoffman, who had attracted the support of right-wing talk radio and cable news hosts, and managed to push the Republican Party candidate out of the race.
These two Democratic victories subtly shift the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Matthew Yglesias:
”... it’s a modest shift to the left of the balance of power in the House. Nancy Pelosi now has an easier time rounding up 218 votes for a health care bill, for example, and each and every Blue Dog [conservative Democrat] has his or her individual leverage over the process reduced."
What Yglesias writes also applies for an immigration bill. Blue Dogs will have less leverage over the shape of any immigration bill, and Pelosi, as House Majority Leader, will have a marginally easier time culling the 218 votes needed for any immigration legislation to pass.
-- Republican Chris Christie’s election as New Jersey governor over incumbent Jon Corzine may slow down or kill efforts underway to grant undocumented immigrant students the right to access in-state tuition at New Jersey colleges. Christie said he is opposed to the plan. Christie may also prove more sympathetic to local elected officials and law enforcement chiefs in New Jersey who want to contract with the Department of Homeland Security to carry out immigration enforcement actions normally undertaken by federal agents. The delegation of immigration enforcement to state and local cops is part of a federal program known as 287g, which is controversial in the Latino community.
-- Republican Bob McDonnell, elected governor in Virginia, has proposed that the 287g program be extended statewide so that Virginia state troopers can carry out immigration enforcement actions. (His opponent Creigh Deeds opposed that proposal.)
If McDonnell pushes ahead with foisting new immigration responsibilities on Virginia state troopers, the move will come with its portion of political risk. The 287g program is popular with many voters who argue it helps speed the deportation of undocumented immigrants who commit crimes. But critics of the program say it diverts law enforcement resources away from primary crime-fighting tasks and sows distrust between Latino communities and law officers. Immigrant and Latino activists also say 287g leads to racial profiling.
Despite his tough stance on illegal immigration, McDonnell went out of his way to attract Latino votes. McDonnell faced an uphill battle, since two-thirds of Virginia Latino voters helped President Obama to his surprise win in the state last year, according to Jennifer Rubin writing in Commentary. Still, while campaigning, McDonnell strove to appear “anti-illegal immigration” instead of “anti-immigrant.”
Sergio Rodriguera Jr., a Latino Republican activist, was quoted in Rubin’s article, saying:
McDonnell has been a good listener, and his Hispanic-outreach events have not been token events with chips and salsa. He understands that Hispanics, like other minorities, want to live the American dream of building a small business and owning their own home.
It will be interesting to look at Virginia’s election returns and see how many Latinos voted for McDonnell. If many did, then McDonnell might indeed be regarded as an example to conservative Republicans who want to attract Latino support in 2010 and beyond (as Rubin argues in her article). But, if McDonnell pushes ahead with his plan to extend 287g statewide and appear tough-as-nails on illegal immigration, he will have to walk a fine line or risk alienating any Latino voters he managed to attract to his candidacy.
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User Comments
i on Nov 27, 2009 at 22:41:29 said:
I am reading your posts and I can\'t believe some of them. I think that most of you have forgotten that there was somebody at your family who came here the same way as we did! Are you afraid of us because we are hard working and only your status makes you better?
geena on Nov 09, 2009 at 12:56:44 said:
Reform would happen faster if immigrant activists would not insist on allowing chain migration. Legalization should be limited to the individual, spouse and children under the age of 18. All others, including parents, should apply on their own merit.
Talk about broken families, when you left you broke up your family, you made the choice and knew the consequences, just like I did. When you get legal status, you will be able to go back and visit, just like I go and visit my parents in Jalisco and brothers in Minnesota.
ezatina on Nov 08, 2009 at 14:35:50 said:
i think american cant imagine the suffer illegals going through every day, believe me its terrible to live unsteable, not to have healh insuarance, not to visit your home country...... ye by the way, im paying all my taxes for 4 years, im paying each penny i have to.. i think its time to give us a chance
AShraf Ahmed LAW ABIDING ILLEGAL on Nov 07, 2009 at 21:16:17 said:
SImply one thing for sure America Likes Legal Criminals and hate illegal hard workers.
We always see the word illegal before we see the word Hard working, the major concern here should not be that who is legally oe illegally in this country. THe primary question should be who is good behaving aqnd who is bad behaving individual.
salah on Nov 06, 2009 at 23:55:01 said:
i dont know how i start my feeling .i am a spouse of us citizen ,and withing two years i am now illigal and after being here more than 5 years suuffer in street in this cold weather ,no place to stay in .no propre work to support my self .no familly .because uscis law is broken and need a good reform .not only to illigal but to liggal immigrant who come here to live here and too many american live in my country .i hav right to live here and we are in one eurth .just one god never do border but the wrong law do it .i dont care after what hapened to me the violence and bad life now i dont care even harder i dont ,and we gona all go to god for what we do .let them make it harder and they say you welcome to united states .but racist people hav no place with god remember that if u are against illigal .and drink the sea all of it .and be a hate person .hold us by your two hands and watsh if u not gona go to meet god ask your kid to hold it for you .change your charachter people
salah on Nov 06, 2009 at 23:53:17 said:
i dont know how i start my feeling .i am a spouse of us citizen ,and withing two years i am now illigal and after being here more than 5 years suuffer in street in this cold weather ,no place to stay in .no propre work to support my self .no familly .because uscis law is broken and need a good reform .not only to illigal but to liggal immigrant who come here to live here and too many american live in my country .i hav right to live here and we are in one eurth .just one god never do border but the wrong law do it .i dont care after what hapened to me the violence and bad life now i dont care even harder i dont ,and we gona all go to god for what we do .let them make it harder and they say you welcome to united states .but racist people hav no place with god remember that if u are against illigal .and drink the sea all of it .and be a hate person .hold us by your two hands and watsh if u not gona go to meet god ask your kid to hold it for you .change your charachter people
Jayman Adler on Nov 05, 2009 at 21:29:37 said:
It is scary to imagine a US where hicks and ignorant limbaugh a$$wipes actually rule the day. If and when this happens the US will become a giant third rate trailer park full of fat, belly scratching neanderthals watching wrastling while they belch down their beer as they happily fart. It will truly be a sad country that could've been...
Tee Al on Nov 05, 2009 at 19:02:05 said:
It's very interesting to see the many different points of view here. What those of you who disagree with immigration reform need to know is that at the base of this argument sits the lives of many American citizens waiting and hoping because of a very unfair system. I am a victim of this system and I do not appreciate people saying that immigrants to this country do not deserve the right to become citizens when my husband who is not a citizen works and pays taxes and is earning a doctorates degree. I am beside myself because of the fact that because of a previous case that my husband had and was denied may be the very thing that decides my future and the future of my family. My mother and father both work for the town we live in, as did I at one point, and we all give back to the community in various ways. I have lived in the same town my entire life and I have sacrificed many things to make a place for myself in this country, as I am sure many others have.
Those of you who completely oppose immigration reform need to open your eyes and take your calcified hearts and find another situation to fight about. Now I will tell you why: If you choose to be closed minded about this argument you can bet your bottom dollar that with no immigration reform this country will eventually falter and become everything it was founded not to be. Educated people like my husband and I will be forced to leave this country, families of people like me will have less faith in their country and fall by the wayside not caring as much as they once did about this great country and over time you will see the degradation by those who were allowed to stay and suck up all of the advantages who are already US citizens and finding their way through the Welfare System. People who never worked but got 3 people to work for their businesses under the table for them will get Social Security benefits for 6 people in their family as well as numerous friends, I have seen this first hand not to mention half of them are DRUG ADDICTS who are CAUCASIAN AMERICAN CITIZENS. So talk about the policy on "paper" and what you "think" the outcome will be, because let me tell you this country will not earn anything by turning countless hard working people away!!!!
I only hope that people begin to realize that an injustice to one person of the human race is an injustice to us all and that contrary to normative belief there are a whole lot more hard working immigrants (legal and illegal) that have earned the right to take part in our governmental system. Once on paper they will be earning things legally and if in fact they utilize the welfare system a policy can and should be put into effect that they are subjected to being expelled if they can not provide for themselves after a certain period of time, and we should be doing the same thing to American citizens.
Brittanicus on Nov 05, 2009 at 16:09:31 said:
Has anybody thought deeply about the consequences of another illegal immigrant amnesty. Let's forget for the moment that suddenly 20 to 30 million people are going to be legalized? That Sanctuary states like California, New Mexico have been financially ridden hard into the ground, because illegal workers and their families are feeding at a gold mine of taxpayer money in government benefits. Let's not mention that since the 1986 Simpson/Mazzoli bill, those made legal, was able to bring into the United States their extended family members. That although they signed an affidavit to support them, many ended up at the the taxpayers expense. So let's slide to the side the expenditures to educate, offer free health care treatment and all the rest of hidden costs of subsiding a large portion of the US population. The fact that the businesses that draw them here, from every corner of the world--PAYS NOTHING. IT"S A FREE-BEES FOR PARIAH BUSINESS. BETTER KNOWN AS CORPORATE WELFARE.
Brittanicus on Nov 05, 2009 at 16:08:42 said:
So president Obama bypasses the masses, who have entreated--NO BLANKET AMNESTY. No path to citizenship! So the millions already here get a free ride to your pensions, social security public option health care welfare. NOW HERE COMES THE FIRESTORM. Have we taken leave of our senses, to think for one moment the fact that another amnesty which is in the works, that the single layer fence is going to hold back millions and millions of more people? That this will not be small lines of illegal aliens crossing the border during the hours of darkness? This is going to be an unimaginably rush that 9000 border patrol agents, is --Expected?-- to hold at bay? Not even the National Guard and regular GI's could stop the wave upon wave? They will sweep in from El Salvador, Columbia, Guatemala, Peru, Chile and of course Mexico. They will arrive from Canada, Ireland, Poland, Romania by plane.
Every corner of the world will hear the trumpet call of Obama's AMNESTY. Chinese immigrants with tourist visas, will fly into Mexico City. Not just the poor, but the sick, mentally handicapped along with criminals absconding from the arm of the law across this planet. NOW THE MOST URGENT QUESTION IS? WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THIS? We are already swallowing the massive funding for Iraq and Afghanistan. We cannot even find jobs for hapless 15 million American workers, who (if true) are joining day laborers at Home Depot, Walmart, Lowes parking lots. So who is going to house, feed and pay-out even more strained US taxpayer money? Perhaps we should send families of illegal aliens to squat in Sen. Harry Reid's house in Nevada. Send another crowd to live in House Speakers grape plantations in Central California.
Let's give them free bus fare to each and every politician with a lousy immigration grading, such as Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL). Why not have them live-in at every ACLU office and their so called communist lawyers could feed them. Every pro-illegal immigrant Chamber of Commerce member could open a spare room and settle some family. All the anti-sovereignty lawmakers should have plenty of room in their Virgina mansions, for a number of impoverished families. Even the President has that large White structure could exhibit some kindness to homeless families? Any of the House and Senate who compromised illegal immigration enforcement, should announce their address for resettlement of people who just run the gauntlet at the underfunded border fence. Let's face it these people who call us names such as xenophobes bigots and worse, ugly cuss words should open their doors to anybody who enters America illegally. Microsoft multi-billionaire Gates and the thousands of businesses that don't incur a darn cent should bring these family members together in their giant homes. Perhaps American workers should obtain a hard copy list of every unpatriotic American and give illegal immigrant matroic a page of addresses for their extended illegal families?
Then just picture the traffic chaos in every corner of America, unless you live in an isolated ranch in the Mohave desert, in California. We think we have road rage now, but give it a few weeks after unfettered AMNESTY. I even have a better idea. Open Americas doors completely? No Ellis Island, Galveston Island. No documents, no inspections. NO NOTHING. Give everybody a bus ticket of their choosing, to where they wish to go? See how long the open border zealots put up with that progressive rush to overpopulation.
Julie B on Nov 05, 2009 at 14:33:42 said:
Immigration reform and amnesty will be the straw that broke the Democrats back. I have been a lifelong Democrat but can not wait until 2010 to cast me straight Republican vote.
Americans need leaders that put American citizens first. These are tough times and the jobs that these illegals are holding is a crime by our Government.
Pastor Jesus Garcia on Nov 05, 2009 at 12:33:27 said:
There needs to be an immigration reform as soon as possible. If not the USA won't move on but stay in the same place. We can't deny them the right to be citizens. No one denied the pilgrams the right to be here. We need to fix the problem and deporting them is not the answer. Deport them and they'll be back, they will find a way. Besides deporting them cost money which come out of our taxes. What a great way to spend our money. We could be using it to fund schools and build solar plants in Arizona. 287g is hurting the Latinos and no one cares about them. This country which live in is not me nor yours. For we didn't built it, but the African Americans, Hispanics and others build this nation. Some of us just sat back and watch them work. Open your eyes and look at your heart. We need to give them anmesty, otherwise, governors are going to take the stand and cause more harm. So please stop being racists against them. Remember in the 1960's African Americans were fighting for the right to vote. The white people didn't want them to have it. So one way or another this will happen.
golin on Nov 05, 2009 at 04:47:08 said:
if this is issue will not be finish these country is not going to move on foreever, where going to stick with war spending money more economic down turn. reform, set some common grounds on both sides amd moveeeee onnnnn.
ttc on Nov 05, 2009 at 00:42:04 said:
The damn 287(g). Favored among the extreme right the most. Criticized by the best, most civilized police chiefs in the country, who're also shunned by the right, who absurdly accuse them of 'favoring criminals'. Yea right, that's why they became successful in law enforcement. The supporters of 287(g) don't care, or mind any racial profiling, since they feel/know it's not going to target them or their kids. And some of them probably love to see racial profiling. Always a Republican siding with those social scums. There has to be a way to not ignore illegal criminal types without blatantly and in the foot steps of an ugly past disregard whole ethnic communities which include children in them in the process. But again many Republicans aren't known for being capable of taking civilized, thoughtful stances on delicate social issues!
I Love LA on Nov 04, 2009 at 20:00:25 said:
Why does Phoenix have a 30% less tax base. Let me qualify that statement. Phoenix is the trailer park capital of the country. Drag a $10.00 bill through a trailer park and you'll get a bunch of "wt".
Gary on Nov 04, 2009 at 17:22:41 said:
No path to legalization EVER!
joseph XXI century on Nov 04, 2009 at 16:38:46 said:
yes we can change the page, next page please, pass the bill .......Immigration Reform .
Rex on Nov 04, 2009 at 16:19:58 said:
I love how immigration activists on both sides of the argument say last night's election results affirm that their position will carry the day.
Note to all: Last night's results were about the economy - jobs, taxes, stuff like that. See, most non-Latino voters worry about other stuff much more than immigration, whereas most Latinos worry about immigration first and foremost (if "media" outlets like this are to be believed).
Why does amnesty have to happen well ahead of the 2010 midterm elections? Because if amnesty is on the table close to the election, moderates will not even consider the issue because they know the VAST majority of non-Latino Americans (who still make up 84% of the population) oppose amnesty.
ruby ch on Nov 04, 2009 at 13:55:55 said:
i think taxpayer have right to become.U.S citizen.and good credit.no criminal background.good for country
David NIchols on Nov 04, 2009 at 12:40:31 said:
Fact:
-->In January 2010 we can ALL Celebrate the start of the E-verify Law, the start of the I.C.E. Deportation Program, the start of this the worst Re-cession in U. S. History, followed by the Global Re-cession, and followed by a Re-surgence of Racism far worse than that of the 1960's!
An 1840's French Historian said: " America is great because it is good, when it ceases to be good it ceases to be great."
Phoenix now has apprx: 30% less Tax Base.(Hard working HUMAN's as counted by the U.S. Census Bureau as CITIZENS all along!)
However we still have the same size Government? (Aint gonna work!)
SOMBODY PLEASE BAIL US OUT!
The Area's/States that engaged in HARSH Employer Sanctions are now the Area's of the Country that are E-conomically DEVISTATED!
That said,
To: Good and Prosperity!