State of Limbo: Hispanics, GOP, and Immigration

After a night of reading American political theory I rode the Chicago Red Line train to the next block or two and ate breakfast at this mom n' pop diner I like. In the kitchen the were the owners working and taking orders while a couple of Mexican cooks fired up my eggs and bacon. When I walked back to my apartment building our groundskeeper Hector was outside salting the sidewalks. Everyday I encounter numerous Mexicans working here legally or illegally for all I know. As an American who respects the Constitution and all the laws of this great country I cannot argue that these hardworking people did break our law and are living here illegally. As a New Mexican with centuries of Spanish ancestry I am sympathetic to my brothers and sisters here working for bad pay but better than what it would be in Mexico, Central and South America; they are working at a level that most Americans simply refuse.

In the latest New York Times/ CBS News poll, 8 percent of Republican Primary voters named immigration or illegal immigrants as the most important issue facing the nation, right behind the war and tied with the economy. A party that was gaining more and more Hispanic voters in the past eight years is now making it hard for Hispanics to vote Republican especially when we hear the anti-immigrant, racist anger fueled by many in the party. I am very upset that the Republican dark horse candidate Gov. Huckabee who seemed to attract the most potential Hispanic Republican votes accepted the founder of the Vigilante racist group, Minuteman Project Jim Gilchrist's endorsement; Huckabee called Gilchrist's endorsement "providence".

Gov. Huckabee and the rest of the GOP candidates, not including Sen. McCain, are using hard line rhetoric and policy towards the immigration issue to attract the votes of the racist, ignorant wing of the Republican party. Their rhetoric and ingenuity they displayed at the Univision debate on Sunday has solidified many Hispanics votes this fall. It will take someone with a practical, compassionate, and moderate stance toward to immigration to attract the Hispanics back to the GOP. I believe that man is Sen. John McCain, he certainly has my support.

I in no way condone illegal immigration, but one must see that our system is set up to be broken. Our economy partially depends on the cooks, busboys, field workers, maids, janitors, and construction workers who are here illegally. If the racist Republican voters want to ship all illegal men, women, and children back to their native countries I say let them, then they will see the true impact they make on our everyday lives. If we want to fix the immigration problem we have fix MEXICO, it is that simple. Their unstable economy, corrupt government, and shared NAFTA policy is the root of our immigration problem. We have laws for immigration, lets enforce those to the fullest extent first. We must make our immigration up to date and efficient and offer a clear path to citizenship to those who have been here contributing to the American Economy and way of life.

AHD