Republicans, Latinos and the Immigration Debate

One of many Latino-dominant demonstrations against the GOP outside their Florida Debate

“Broken” has been the word used to describe the immigration system from the Left, Right and Center of politics in the United States: it currently gives little to no hope for citizenship to those in the country without status, even after decades of doing everything right.  After an election in which Latinos formed a vital portion of the coalition that Obama put together, Republicans at the national level have changed their rhetoric.  The coming weeks will be a vital time to see if Republicans create matching change in their policies.

The title says it all: The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.  To be sure, the bill which has been introduced to the Senate is not simple “amnesty” as so many have cried before seeing the text: literally written at the top of Rubio’s synopsis is “The Toughest Border Security & Enforcement Measures in U.S. History.”  Included is funding for border security (including a fence), requirements for metrics like “100% border awareness;” “90% apprehension rates in high-risk sectors;” “Universal E-verify” and a “Visa exit system” to stop visa overstays.

The above are all things which immigration advocates have demonstrated against in the past: the bill doesn’t make anything easy enough to be called “amnesty,” especially not considering the 10 year probationary period, fines and back taxes undocumented immigrants who are applying for status will have to pay.

Some of the most intelligent voices in business are behind reform, from Michael Bloomberg to Silicon Valley; the “Gang of 8” is pushing full steam ahead; even the AFLCIO and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, labor and business, were able to agree on an outline for an immigration package: everything is lining up behind immigration reform, including Marco Rubio, debatably the only rising star in the Republican Party who has any hope of appealing to Moderates and Independents other than Chris Christie.

It’s the first opportunity for Republicans to begin to reform their image since SB 1070, filibustering the DREAM Act and Mitt Romney’s “self deportation” rhetoric, and Louie Gohmert actually says “Radical Islamists… are trained to act Hispanic.”

Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee responsible for electing Republicans, came out with the “Autopsy Report” that pointed to a “Latino problem.”  Reince might have had an aneurism over Congressman Young’s “wetback” comment requiring a day solid of public shaming before an adequate apology could be wrestled from him by John Boehner: it would be perfectly justifiable.  He then could have just had a heart attack over Goehmert’s comments.  Steve King has been making noise about the implications that the Boston Marathon terror incident would have before the dust settled and we knew if it was foreign or domestic: this could be an ulcer for Mr. Priebus.  In fact, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has jumped on the anti-immigration/let’s not heal our Latino rift bandwagon to ensure he can’t be “primaried” next year: hypothetical Reince Priebus may need a wheelchair he can pilot with his eyeballs due to stress-related diseases before the immigration debate is done.

Gohmert and King are essentially lifetime gaff-factories, the former being regular Daily Show fodder for publicly saying something highlight-reel stupid like his “terror baby” theory on how Al Qaeda would send pregnant women to the US to raise terrorists. Steve King is known for his controversial, McCarthy-esque Muslim Hearings.  For Sen. Sessions, considering how Alabama has a small Latino population of 4%, it makes sense that he comes out with nonsensical comments like “The day the bill passes there will be effective amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants.”

As the party recovers its image amongst Latinos that was so badly damaged during the rhetoric of the 2012 campaign season, figures like Sessions will increasingly stand out as more politicians become moderate on the issue.  While Sessions may be able to insulate himself from the consequences and score some cheap political points, fellow Republicans will take a hit as members of the “Party of no” on immigration once again; it won’t help John Cornyn (R-TX) win re-election in a state that’s 38% Latino.

The rhetoric from Republicans may have changed, but this is a recent development: the supreme court battle over SB 1070, “self-deportation” and the filibuster of the 2010 DREAM Act are all in the memory of voters.  The more Gohmert, King and Sessions rails against immigration reform, the more the Republicans’ recent past will be an issue moving forward.