Illegal immigration may not be dominant GOP issue

One not so obvious loser in Thursday's primary? The importance of illegal immigration as an issue, said Greenville-based political consultant Chip Felkel.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's victory, Felkel said, is also a defeat for candidates such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Tennessee U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson and others who have focused on sealing U.S. borders and punishing the millions of illegal immigrants in the United States.

By constrast, Huckabee has argued for extending some privileges -- such as in-state college tuition for the children, some U.S. citizens, of illegal immigrants.

"Fervent anti-immigration," Felkel said,  was not a winning message.

"It appears that they're taking a little more Christian attitude toward immigration," Felkel said of Iowa voters.

According to polling, illegal immigration ranks among the top two issues for South Carolina voters, ranking above taxes, the economy and even the Iraq war.

But some pundits, such as former White House press secretary Tony Snow, believe that a vocal minority is driving the issue and immigration is not the deciding issue among Republicans.

Comments

[bgbest]

Maybe the author of this report should re-visit Mike Huckabee's newest position on immigration. He's not advocating any benefits like he did back in Arkansas. It is very surprising, especially how he defended giving benefits at the Florida debate. However, check the note at the end of his "Secure America Plan." It states, " This policy will be drafted to comply with the final federal court decisions on this issue." - Makes you wonder how serious he is about it. I thought Congress made the law not the Federal Courts. Anyway, this is only one problem with Huckabee, there are others.
Prediction: If Huckabee is the Rep Nominee, the dems will win the White House in 2008.
FRED THOMPSON, he hasn't had any recent revelations since deciding to run for President, (Not to bash Huck or Mitt, they just haven't been consistent). Check out www.fred08.com and read through his policy ideas, they are excellent and he has a conservative voting record to back them up. GO FRED!!

[Lanneau]

Chip must have been misquoted....
To think this issue won't matter in SC, you would have to live in a cave...
and I resent anyone saying that to enforce the law, in this case, is unchristian..

[slugger]

There are only three issues of prime importance to the citizens of the US. That is economy, immigration and terrorism.

Our economy is going down the tube. No one in the present administration is serious about closing the borders and sending the illegal back to their own country. The Democrats and some of the Republicans seem not to notice that the war on terrorism is a real and live factor in preventing another 9/11.

The last man (or woman) standing in this election will be the one that has the most campaign money and makes the most promises knowing that they cannot deliver without increased taxes.

You cannot turn the poor into the middle class by taking away the earnings of the productive and giving it to the non-productive. You cannot educate a class of people that do not participate in the tax structure by being a citizen. Soon there will be more of them than there are of us and then who is going to pay?

I say that unless one of the candidates decides to run on the real issues concerning this country, you may as well stay home that day and figure out how you are going to survive.

[Doc]

The iIllegal immagration issue will fade simply because our country and state have greater issues to address. The politicians that think their ticket to success is punishing hard working immagrants that only want to better their lives will soften their message as they realize that a vocal minoity does not speak for the average South Carolinian or American. Sout Carolina and America needs entry level workers to remain viable in a world economy. Without them, we will see more jobs and investment going overseas. The histeria will fade and reason will prevail.

[bgbest]

I do agree we need immigrants to do entry level work, but we have a legal process to get the help needed- Visas. If that is insufficient we have a process to adjust the laws – Congress. I remember as a child when peach season rolled around immigrants would come work through the season and leave. The problem now is they don’t leave, and more and more are coming every day. Call me a bigot or hate monger, fine, but I think people should realize this. We must enforce the rule of law with no exceptions. As soon as you allow the current illegals to stay, or give them an assured path to full citizenship, more will follow. Businesses that thrive, and in a lot of cases; now fully depend on this cheap labor; do it at the ultimate expense of law abiding citizens. So in short, I bet immigration will be a hot item through the primaries and the general election. If you want any compassion from the average citizen, the Presidential Nominee must secure the border first.
SUPPORT FRED THOMPSON!!

[Martha]

Could not agree more about securing the border but if you want to kill the economy then take away the worker bees. Dont punish businesses that have hired immigrants based on documentation that is sufficent in the Federal Governments eyes and now are depepndent upon their skills. Secure the border, give the workers here some type of status(temporary) and tax them. If they run a foul of the law send them to a tent city in the desert for a year and then back home. If they work hard, obey the law., pay taxes and become a valuable member of our society then give them a chance to do what too many Americans no longer do, pursue the American dream. As a long term Republican, I would rather vote for Hillary than a Republican candidate who thinks this issue is as simple as "send them home"

[slugger]

Who is in charge of our government? Elected officials are in charge. We put them there. They were elected by us to do what is best for all the people.

We sent them to Washington to see that each law abiding citizen of the US is represented by a person that we think has our best interest at heart. We hope that they will use their vote to make our lives better and that the country will prosper along with it’s citizens. We expect that when they come up for re-election they can tell us what they accomplished.

When you elect the same people term after term they think that they are there to do what they think best and not what is good for all the people. They do not oversee the companies and industry but allow such as has happened in the banking and housing industry and allowed CEO’s to get away with raping their own company for their own good. I realize that our elected officials do not appoint people to the board of these companies but they certainly can pass laws that prevent this from taking place. Sure, they make examples of some of them and send them away for a few years and a slap on the wrist and fine them a few dollars. How many people will go to prison because of the bank and housing greed?

Someday we can hope that all the people that sit around and watch the sports on TV and whoop and complain about this player and that team will someday get as interested in their government as they are with the games people play. But do not hold your breath because these are the same people that never read a newspaper to find out what is going on in the real world.

[Tim Houghtaling]

"Doc" said:
"I do agree we need immigrants to do entry level work,"
I would hope that, by now, some fact would filter into the migration dialog.
Over 40%, some say 50% of the "illegal aliens" make legal entry using passport and visas then violate their conditions of entry. Not a few make legal entry using fraudulent documents. This happens at international air and sea ports including those in South Carolina. That amounts to some 20,000 a year who reported South Carolina as their final destination each year. These include many medical doctors, engineers, accountants, car designers and more. I even arrested a Canadian C.E.O. one time.
Businesses claim they are desperate for educated qualified workers. There is good cause to believe them. There seems little reason not to help them.
Unfortunately, political pressures have always guaranteed a paucity / lack of any interior enforcement efforts. The hostile takeover of ICE by legacy Customs folk has done nothing to change that fact. A Myopic vision on planting "walls" at the border fails to address either need to remove violators nor provide legal help. Be sure your Senators and Representatives have done nothing to cause any ICE Agents be assigned in the Midlands. The primary, if not sole goal of current immigration rantings is to garner votes.
None of the politicos, especially Senator Lindsey Graham have the slightest idea of the problems / needs of the machinery for the "wheels of justice", nor any apparent concern of providing a fix.
There is much more to the U.S. visa / illegal alien "problem" than the wet Mexican or El Salvadorian in the field or putting up dry wall. The failure of these candidates to figure it out is a major disgrace.

[bgbest]

People not paying attention to the World we live in and our Gov’t is probably the number one contributing factor to the immigration problem – we are all guilty of that to some degree. Unfortunately, this is reality. Immigration is not a simple problem with simple solutions. That’s why we need strong pragmatic leadership with a political will to do something about it. In case you missed it, last week, the President and the democratically controlled Congress stripped the 3 billion dollars needed to fund the Secure Fence Act of 2006 from the Omnibus Appropriations Bill – what a shame. They did this secretly with no open debate in Congress. You must understand to a “career politician” this is a vote buying opportunity or political suicide. Currently, no one wants to touch this, but for the presidential nominees, you better believe this will be a deciding factor in 2008.
Sure, while the border is being secured, give the business community the tools needed to verify worker status, and a time period to sort out what they need or to file grievances, but if you think that this alone will make most business owners honest – think again. We have come to this juncture due to businesses knowingly taking advantage of the system and hiring illegal aliens because there are no consequences being enforced. The vicious cycle caused by extremely cheap labor = lower cost of goods = higher profits = greed/growth is more cheap labor.
I believe you pay a decent wage, Americans will work. Sure, the benefits to the economy are more apparent and quantifiable, but what about entitlement programs, healthcare, public education, etc. - your tax dollars. How much is that costing? Not to mention that we are increasing the size of the population that needs these programs the most. In my humble opinion, the answer is not “temporary status.” This in affect is Amnesty, plain and simple and ignores the rule of law. Unless there is some overwhelming and compelling argument; some/most may have to go home, period. The economy may take a hit, but it will never die.

[bgbest]

Great perspective, Tim. I guess this blog has taken the typical one-sided view of the problem. Graham has been a joke adrssing this issue, and educating the public. Sure 40-50% gain entry through legal means, but at least there is some confirmation of who they are and where they come from. The other 50-60% are complete unknowns, this is a huge security risk. While the border fence doesn't address interior enforcement, I do think it is an essential part of the overall solution.

[slugger]

I do not know what is to figure about illegal immigration as stated above.

The bottom line is that if you do not have a visa and are illegal you need to be arrested and deported to country of origin.

Labor is only cheap in the eyes of the beholder. Pay a decent wage and make quality goods and houses etc in this country and put a label on it MADE IN THE USA BY LEGAL WORKERS and the problem of illegals is solved. No job. No reason to be here except to have a baby born in the US that is a citizen when born and will qualify for all the benefits of a US citizen with benefits being paid for by workers making the MADE IN THE USA LABELS.

[hawk]

Immigration is an overblown issue along with the so called "War on Terror".

It is the Republican's job to be afraid and the GOP's job to tell you whom to be afraid of in the next election.

[bOB]

THE TEXT BELOW WASTAKEN FROM hUCKABEE'S WEBSITE

Immigration Facts

- The Governor opposes and will never allow amnesty.

- Governor Huckabee believes that securing our borders must be our top priority and has reached the level of a national emergency.

- The Governor supports the $3 billion the Senate has voted for border security. This money will train and deploy 23,000 more agents, add four drone planes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and put up 105 radar and camera towers.

- In this age of terror, illegal immigration is not only an economic issue, but also a national security issue.

- Governor Huckabee opposed the amnesty bill that was attempted to be rushed through Congress this summer, and opposed the misnamed DREAM Act, which would have put us on the slippery slope to amnesty for all.

- Governor Huckabee opposes and will not tolerate sanctuaries for illegals.

- Governor Huckabee opposes giving driver's licenses to those who are illegally in our country and supports legislation to prevent states from doing so.

- Governor Huckabee believes illegal aliens who try to vote or try to apply for welfare benefits should be arrested.

- Governor Huckabee will stop punishing cities which try to enforce our laws and protect the economic well-being, physical safety, and quality of life of our citizens.

- Governor Huckabee opposes and will not tolerate employers who hire illegals. They must be punished with fines and penalties so large that they will see it is not worth the risk or profitable.

- Governor Huckabee opposes the economic integration of North America that would create open borders among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

- Governor Huckabee will never yield one inch of American sovereignty.

- Governor Huckabee will take our country back for those who belong here. No open borders, no amnesty, no sanctuary, no false Social Security numbers, no driver's licenses for illegals.

It has been reported that Mike Huckabee supported benefits for illegals immigrants while he was Governor of Arkansas.

Governor Huckabee never supported benefits for illegal immigrants. In Arkansas, illegal immigrants do not receive welfare benefits or food stamps. Governor Huckabee has always, and will always be supportive of the laws and regulations of the country.

It has also been said that Mike Huckabee was in favor of providing college scholarships for illegal immigrants while he was Governor.

The governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship. The measure didn't pass. Governor Huckabee stressed that any student would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas High School, and not given any special consideration.

Critics say that Governor Huckabee's motives behind opening a Mexican consulate office in Little Rock was to court illegals to come work in Arkansas.

The Mexican consulate provided Arkansas businesses with access to Mexico and opportunities to expand their markets, and would help further ensure that immigrants from Mexico are legal and better able to secure legal documentation. At the same time, the office would open up opportunities for Mexican investors to invest money with Arkansas partners, which would help create more jobs in the state.

[slugger]

Wait a minute Bob. This is not what he is saying on the campaign trial. This is not what is being written about in the newspapers as his platform.

Is this smoke and mirrors?

The people in Iowa grow corn for ethanol for money. Do you know the consequences to our economy by turning our corn supply over to making ethanol? These are real smart people? They are looking out for the corn growers. It is called looking out for yourself. Greed. Do not do as the people of Iowa do by following a leader that do not know enough to protect our food supply and water supply.

[slugger]

These people that voted yesterday are the same people that raise corn for ethanol.
That really makes them smart people. They do not care about the billions of gallons of water that they use and the ground water they pollute and the aquifers that they pollute to grow the corn to make the ethanol that goes into your cars instead of gas made from oil. They do not care if there is any water to drink while making the money for selling the corn. This also runs up the cost of everything made from corn or concerning corn in any respect.
Just to make my point more clear this is a PS to previous post.

[bgbest]

Bob, is it not an incentive to illegal immigrants to give tuition breaks for their kids. The whole point is be legal, period. This is the kind of compassionate conservatisim that is going to lead us down the road to a welfare state. Think 100 years down the road man, what are we leaving our children. Think about the country that was given to you.

[Susanne]

Huckabee is not conservative enough or consistant enough. He has not enforced the immigration laws of this country in his own state. Conservative Fred Thompson from Tennessee will be a better choice.

Taken from Fred08.com

Read Fred Thompson's Full Immigration Plan

The United States is a nation of immigrants. Throughout our history, legal immigrants have brought energy, ideas, strength, and diversity to our country, our economy, and our culture. This must continue. But in the post-9/11 world, immigration is more of a national security issue. A government that cannot secure its borders and determine who may enter and who may not, abrogates a fundamental responsibility. I am committed to:

Securing our borders and enforcing immigration laws. Amnesty is not an option and the toleration of “sanctuary cities” must end.
Reviewing our immigration laws and policies to ensure they advance our national interests.
Uniting Americans by welcoming legal immigrants willing to learn English, assimilate into our communities, and become productive citizens.

[SBenn]

Illegal immigration is a very important issue! Of course, it is not the only issue and maybe not the most important issue. National security is my most important issue. Economy, taxes, social security, and the war are important. But for myself, I want to find a candidate that takes all the issues seriously and whose views I can really support. Next, everyone needs to go to factcheck.org and see which candidate are truthful in their ads and which are not. Which ones give the correct facts in the debates and which ones do not. These facts will give us a knowledge of how honorable and honest the candidates are. It will also answer correctly the differences in is previous posts here on Mitt and Mike and others and who is right. How can we trust a man or woman who is not honest or just make public mis-statements or does not know the current events? Next go to their sites and see their white papers usually under issues. This is where they get out of the gereral rederick where they all sound similar and see if the candidate has thorough thought out plans to handle our nations issues. Next look at their endorsements. Not star indorsements but people you respect and know, organizations you respect and who represent your views. For instance if the abortion issue is important who got the National Right to Life endorsement and why did the candidate get that vote. All republican candidates believe in God and state they are conservative but are they really? Listen to conservative talk show hosts and writers & see who do they speak well of or endorse. They do a lot of research before they give an opinion. Look at their qualifications, experience. Lastly, do not listen to the mass media because they will lead you to who they want to win. They will put down the ones they do not want to win. For instance they find no real faults or skeletons in Senator Thompson's long political career so they just say he cannot win, he is lazy, he got in too late, etc. So check them all out and vote with your mind and not with the crowd.

[Judy]

Duncan Hunter is the only TRUE conservative and he has his record to stand by. He has not changed positions like everyone else. He is for securing and protecting our borders and he is strong on military and defense. He has been consistent on all the issues. Please check out his stance on the issues at www.gohunter08.com

Don't rely on endorsements of organizations or individuals. They endorse according to popularity. Also, don't let the media pick your candidate for you. I can tell you Huckabee, McCain, Romney, Paul, etc. will split the GOP ensuring a win for the Democrats. But I have yet to hear anyone who wouldn't support Hunter if he was nominated.