The Gipper would urge us to get a grip on immigration

The country is well into the presidential primary elections and candidates from both parties are scrambling to gain voter support. An article in the Dec. 3 Fort Worth Star-Telegram discussed how this year’s Republican presidential candidates differ in their opinions compared to former President Ronald Reagan. While many Republicans remember Reagan as an “unwavering conservative icon,” some of his decisions may have caused him to fail to even be considered as a candidate in this year’s elections.

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One area where Reagan’s opinion differs from current candidates is his view on immigration. In Lou Cannon’s book “President Reagan The Role of a Lifetime,” Reagan is remembered as a strong proponent of free trade worldwide. During his presidential campaign in November 1979, Reagan proposed a “North American accord,” which would allow both business and people to move freely between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Reagan’s actions related to immigrants varied. In a November 1977 radio address, Reagan talked about the “illegal alien fuss.” Even though he recognized the contributions of immigrants to the United States, he signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Reagan called it the most comprehensive reform of our country’s immigration laws since 1952. The legislation included employer sanctions to discourage hiring illegal immigrants, more funding for border enforcement and legalization of 2.8 million undocumented workers already in the United States.

12 million and counting

It’s been 22 years since Reagan signed the reform act. There are now an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. One wonders how much longer the next president and Congress will take to try to realistically resolve illegal immigration.

Illegal immigrants and what to do with them has certainly been a hot issue among the candidates, especially the Republicans. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was chided by fellow candidate Rudy Giuliani for hiring a landscaper who employed illegal immigrants. Romney, who fired the landscaper, said he wasn’t responsible for the hiring practices of a legal company. Previously, Romney had accused Giuliani of being mayor of a “sanctuary city” because he hadn’t turned in all illegals to federal officials.

Taking a hard-line approach to illegal immigrants will only further alienate Hispanic voters, of which nearly 60 percent consider themselves to be Democrats.

The Pew Hispanic Center reports that Hispanics are the nation’s largest and fastest-growing minority group -- 46 million people who make up about 15 percent of the U.S. population. Although only 6.5 percent of eligible Hispanic voters are expected to vote in November, the Pew Center said these voters could play a major role in the outcomes of four critical states: New Mexico, Florida, Nevada and Colorado.

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I expect the “illegal alien fuss” will continue to be a major issue for not only the presidential candidates, but also for state and federal legislators, well beyond the November elections.

- David Kuack