In post-election shift, GOP resurrects immigration bills in Congress

The facts are undisputed: Republicans have a problem attracting Hispanic voters.

With Mitt Romney as the prime example of how bad the situation is for the GOP - he lost Hispanics by over 40 points to President Obama - some in the party have drawn the conclusion that the GOP's hard line on immigration is the reason for its troubles with Hispanics. In the aftermath of Romney's drubbing, several Republicans publicly called for their party to be more inclusive and some have now moved to the next stage of repairing relations with Hispanic voters - proposing legislation - despite criticism from Democrats that this push is purely political.

The Republican-led House of Representatives is taking up a measure this week that would create a new immigration program to give high-skilled workers in the science, technology engineering and math (STEM) industries permanent residency in the U.S.

Additionally, two retiring Republicans, Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, joined with fellow co-sponsor Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to introduce a new version of the DREAM Act legislation Tuesday. It would provide permanent residency, but not citizenship, to children under the age of 14 brought to the U.S. by their illegal immigrant parents. In exchange, the youth would have to obtain higher education or serve in the military. The measure is similar to the presidential directive issued by Mr. Obama this past summer and would lock it into federal law.

"While this legislation addresses a single facet of our nation's complex immigration problem, it is nonetheless a step forward in addressing a time sensitive issue," Kyl said.

Play Video

Obama: "I'm very confident we can get immigration reform done"

A Senate Democratic aide said the measure means little because undocumented youth have already been given reprieve from the president. He also said it is unlikely to be brought up before the end of the year, but "it is encouraging that Republicans are willing to correct the missteps and move the debate forward" for the next Congress.

Many Republicans, until recently, were adamantly opposed to various versions of the DREAM Act, even though it was first introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah., in 2001.

For example, in 2010, after the Senate failed to pass a version of the DREAM Act that included a path to citizenship, McCain said, "I cannot put the priorities of these students, as difficult and unfair in many respects as their situation is, ahead of my constituents and the American people who demand that the Federal government fulfill its Constitutional duty to secure our borders before we undertake other reforms." 

Mark Kirkorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that calls for fewer legal immigrants and strongly opposes illegal immigration, says the DREAM Act is a "compelling" issue for Republicans if they want to appeal to Hispanic voters because undocumented children are blameless innocents.

"They need to do something proactive but also address this most sympathetic group of illegal aliens," Kirkorian said.

• Are Republican immigration reform opponents losing clout?
• Lessons from the 2012 House elections

Meanwhile, the House bill being taken up this week, the STEM Act, is authored by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who has previously been a staunch supporter of many of the harshest immigration proposals, including notifying authorities when illegal immigrants are admitted to hospitals and doing away with birthright citizenship to children born to immigrants in the U.S.

"We cannot afford to educate these foreign graduates in the U.S. and then send them back home to work for our competitors. For America to remain the world's economic leader, we must have access to the world's best talent," Smith said in a recent statement.

But Smith's push to pass the STEM Act is viewed by some through a purely political lens, and some say his efforts are futile and misguided.

• no previous page
• next

1/2

[me_nz]

Oh how can they suggest such a thing the GOP playing politics on any issue especially immigration? That is an outrageous lie. How dare they suggest such a thing? The GOP is a party of firm principal and steadfast beliefs. What is more I can prove it. Was not Mitt the moron firm and consistent the whole way through the election campaign? Was not Sarah Palin steadfast in her role as Governor of Alaska? There I rest my case.

[moonglowsun]

What a JOKE! With all that faces us that is imminently more important, THIS is what they come up with? Oh, correction..THIS AND chastizing Ambassador Rice. Is there ANY question as to WHY the GOP are heading for their OWN political cliff?

[marine1957]

"The GOP is playing politics"???

You mean that the DNC doesn't play politics???

You all play politics in Washington. There isn't a patriot among you...

[westerly1]

More political leverage for the Democrats.

[Fed-Up_Patriot]

Every American born engineer and scientist needs to leave the country ASAP. This nonsense just will not stop... Its no wander that Asia is rising rapidly... Over the last 20 years - our government with the help of corporate America and their countless H1B and student Visa programs have trained our competition.. Yes the short term profits were nice... Now what? At the same time - I've seen American students turned away from university - in favor of foreign students. I asked a school administrator why this was.. They told me the less paperwork (for gov't reinbursement) and higher tuition. Well here's where we are at.. I'm very very seriously of moving away and no I'm not making this up... In the last 3-4 years engineering pay in China has doubled.. For software engineers the average pay now in China is $36,000.. Don't Believe me? Google it. While $36,000 doesn't seem comparable in raw numbers - when you consider the cost of living differences $1 buys about 4 times as much in China... (the 1 exception being automobiles). So $36,000 over there is equivalent to $140,000 a year here. And get this - their pay is still rising rapidly. Since the recession started hours are about comparable.. Both sides about 80 hours a week. On our side of the Pacific - the hours have gone up quite considerably in my area... In China the hours are going down.

American Engineers and scientist -you've been sold out... The time to do something about it has long been overdue... I'm very very rapidly approaching the point where I no longer wish to support this system of corruption. Good luck... All the foreign born cheap labor they bring over will not like being away from their families for long... Every dime they make above expenses goes straight out of the country to help family. Also the exodus of folks (more experienced immigrants ) back to Asia has already began as living quality is growing leaps in bounds and nobody likes being away from family for long.. Not only is this an economic drain - its a technological drain. These folks when they go back home - work for the competition. And being American born I'm very very close of saying to h@ll with it - and joining the brain drain myself. I've already moved my family to Asia.

[Fed-Up_Patriot]

Oh BTW - when us experienced engineers leave - then the country will really be screwed... While these people come in from other countries with degrees not even worth the paper they are written on - the real knowledge comes from doing the work itself... Ask ANY experienced engineer they will tell you the same. That is why folks from these countries come here - to learn from the best in the world.. Their American counterparts... If we were to leave.. who'd train our replacements? From what I've seen, most of the folks coming over here don't know j*ck ****. Some of the guys I trained in the early 90s (from India) confided in me they hadn't even used a real computer before and that all they learned from university was from 20-30 year old textbooks.. Now PCs are everywhere across Asia so I'm sure that's changed. Anyway - us experienced American engineers need to leave.. With us out of here - all corporate America will have left is a bunch of noobs that don't know j*ck.

[Fed-Up_Patriot]

Spinner - and what in my post do you disagree with?

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

The facts are undisputed: Republicans have a problem attracting Hispanic voters.
---
Geez. Whodathunkit,eh? Just because they passed anti-Hispanic laws in several states?
If you dance to the music, you have to pay the piper.......

[Ulgnud]

Are we trying to justify utter dereliction of duty in enforcing immigration laws again? Shut off the job and handouts magnet. Shut off the "Anchor baby" farce. Make a path for self deportation available. Anyone being caught here illegally is permanently barred from citizenship. No Amnesty for anyone. There are already immigration laws in place to attract skilled foreigners now. Don't justify failure to take action to cleaning the illegals out because the liberal press pushes it. Enforce existing laws. No reform needed. Just do your jobs.

[antoniof123]

Here is a fact for you wing nuts if we go off the fiscal cliff and unemployment raises there will be no saving you. The vast majority of Americans of all races and color will blame you.

Stop playing around and fix the mess you clown created.