New York Times (Opinion)
By Lawrence Downes
August 7, 2015
Latinos of America, there you have it. The Republican presidential campaign has nothing good to offer you on immigration.
One
if them — Jeb Bush — sees unauthorized immigrants as human beings. The
rest of the candidates, led by Donald Trump in Thursday night’s debate,
sees them as a nation-within-a-nation
of drug dealers, rapists, killers, security threats, freeloaders —
contributing nothing, deserving nothing. They are a problem to be
contained, starting at the southern border, which must be immediately
sealed so that more of their kind don’t get through.
There
has to be a 2,000-mile wall (Mr. Trump, Marco Rubio and others),
enhanced with interior electronic tracking systems (Mr. Rubio, Mr.
Bush), and the only reason the
wall hasn’t been built yet is the country is too stupid (Mr. Trump) and
in thrall to the “Washington cartel” (Ted Cruz). States and cities that
don’t sign up with the federal immigration dragnet should be punished
(Mr. Bush and others).
Just
to unnerve Latino voters some more, there was an ad during the debate
from Numbers USA, an immigration-restriction organization founded by a
white nationalist.
The
most intense lies and hate came from Mr. Trump, who kept pushing his
story that illegal immigration is a Mexican government conspiracy to rid
itself of rapists and
killers. But then Mike Huckabee talked about his plan to save Social
Security and Medicare by taxing “illegals, prostitutes, pimps, drug
dealers — all the people that are freeloading off the system.”
(In
truth, unauthorized immigrants are propping up entitlement programs, by
putting in billions of dollars more than they take out. But Mr.
Huckabee finds immigrants living
here outside the law sinful and disgusting.)
Mr.
Bush, at least, stood by his claim that unauthorized immigrants are
motivated by something more human. “I believe that the great majority of
people coming here illegally
have no other option,” he said. “They want to provide for their
family.”
But he, too, went with the border-first thing, and condemned “sanctuary cities.”
It’s
early in the race, and sooner or later the Republicans may have to be
pressed to answer the critical question: What do we do with 11 million
people already here?
Mr. Trump wants to kick them all out — a Trail of Tears for the 21st
century — and let “the good ones” back in.
He
hasn’t had to answer for that and other repulsive remarks. The campaign
hasn’t yet graduated beyond infotainment – it’s a reality show
disconnected from reality. It
may get more serious. But the tone has been set. The red meat has been
thrown, and it’s rotting.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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