Condoleezza Rice Breaks With Right Wing And Says We Should Be For ‘Welcoming’ Immigra

[cato2]

Condoleezza Rice Breaks With Right Wing And Says We Should Be For ‘Welcoming’ Immigrants

Last Sunday, on a trip to Sacramento, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice briefly praised the nation’s history of welcoming immigrants, saying that it’s a tradition that should be preserved:

“Our national myth is the log cabin. That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That’s what has brought immigrants to this country for years. We’ve got to keep welcoming these people.”

A few months ago, Rice expressed deep regret about not being able to pass comprehensive immigration reform while her boss, President George W. Bush, was in office:

“We need immigration reform. I don’t care if it’s for the person who crawls across the desert to earn $5 an hour, or for Sergey Brin, who came here from Russia and founded Google. As a country, we can’t have people living in the shadows. It’s just wrong. It’s not only ineffective, it’s wrong.”

Rice’s comments are a much-needed departure from the Bush administration’s generally unwelcoming immigration enforcement tactics that drove undocumented immigrants deeper underground and contributed to the current atmosphere of hate, hostility and ethnic intimidation towards immigrants, Latinos, and other foreign minorities living in the US. While the Bush administration did advocate for comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented population, it implemented oppressive immigration enforcement measures to win the public’s support for broader reform. And when the immigration reform bill failed in 2007, the administration’s brutal enforcement tactics continued. In fact, they escalated.
In late 2008, Peter Markowitz, professor of law at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York, explained:

“Something really shifted in the Bush Administration once it realized comprehensive immigration reform was not going to pass on its watch…When they saw the public policy battle was lost, they moved instead to public relations. The strategy now is to shore up the Republican base by demonstrating a big, flashy show of force.”

The Bush administration did a good job of riling up its right wing base, but it didn’t win itself any new votes. Instead, Bush left immigrants and Latinos with a situation in which hate crimes against them are increasing, racial profiling is soaring, and dehumanizing anti-immigrant rhetoric continues to dominate the airwaves. Bush may have won the hearts and minds of right-wingers, but Latino and immigrant voters overwhelmingly turned against the Republican party in the November 2008 elections. And while several members of the GOP are now trying to clean up their party’s rhetoric, ultimately its actions will speak louder than its words.

[Woodmonkey]

We do welcome legal immigrants to this country. The only ones who live in the shadows are those who break our laws and come here illegally, using fake SOC cards or actual identity theft.

[cato2]

There is no doubt that it is a complex issue. I live in a city that is mainly Hispanic, Mexican American as the dominant group. And even within that group you will find disagreement on the issues. The GOP has suffered a loss of some voters because of a perceived bias within the party. The Democratic party is still the dominant party out in West Texas, as it was throughout the state until the demographics began to change in this state starting with migration to Texas from outside of the state in the 70's.

The pathway to legal immigration is open to those who can afford the process from Mexico as well as any other country. The immigration problem that exists coming from the south, is just not the poor Mexicans trying to have a better life, but those that also live further south as well. And for the most part they do in fact work jobs that you just do not see many others working at. They are more willing to take on the hard labor jobs for less money, construction, farming as well as manufacturing. Many shout that those jobs should be for legal Americans, but why are they not applying for those jobs? I drive through the Rio Grande Valley and only see migrant workers, I have yet to ever see a black or white person out in those fields. Perhaps if they were paid a living wage, one where a person could actually raise a family, more people would be willing to work out in those fields that were were legal. But as it stands, the wages are extremely low, and the only ones that I see out there are Hispanics and no others.

I am not sure what the answer to this is, because it is not that simply a problem as many would like to think.

[ptco911]

I personally have nothing against immigration as long as it is done legally. Condoleeza Rice stated nothing different. You always attempt to praise President Obama and chastise President Bush. This country is real trouble and additional flowing of illegal immigrants is not needed. To slow the problem our there should be a referendum of at least 3 years on any immigration.

[cato2]

Originally Posted by ptco911

I personally have nothing against immigration as long as it is done legally. Condoleeza Rice stated nothing different. You always attempt to praise President Obama and chastise President Bush. This country is real trouble and additional flowing of illegal immigrants is not needed. To slow the problem our there should be a referendum of at least 3 years on any immigration.

I do not see where I "praise" President Obama using this article.

I agree, the issue needs to be evaluated by looking at the reality of what is really occuring out in the country. Some businesses in this country, until recently have been more than willing to hire the illegals and they know that and will come for jobs that they believe are here. With unemployment on the rise, the result will be more who will be out some jobs, and hired illegally in others. It is getting increasing more difficult for the illegal to find work, many are in fact returning home, to countries that are even now suffering even worse than here, but their extended families can at least bring them into their own family network of support. Something that they generally do not have here.

[ptco911]

Until this country gains control of the borders, the unlawful entry of people, drugs and crime will continue to rise. Fast tracking illegals because they are already here is not the answer. They should have to leave the country and apply for immigration through legal channels. Of course that would be sever blow to the Democratic Party's voter drive.

[Scrappy]

where's the source article?