Ironically, some new immigrants seem to want the door shut behind them and find the welfare state wrong.

Republicans winning new citizens for 2008 vote
By Toby Harnden in San Diego, California
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 10/11/2007



Minutes after taking the Pledge of Allegiance, new American citizens are urged to register as voters by Democratic activists who see them as natural party supporters who could hold the key to the 2008 election.  But with increasing illegal immigration threatening the economy and security of the United States, many legal immigrants anxious to uphold the laws of their adopted country are moving towards the more hard-line immigration stance of Republicans.

 

Even in California’s Democratic-controlled San Diego, sizeable numbers of America’s newly-minted potential voters said that illegal immigrants should be penalised rather than given an easy route to citizenship as most Democrats advocate.

“For a long time, immigration was OK,” said Sara Wright, 49, a seamstress from Mexico who arrived in the US legally in 1986.

“But now, no more. A lot of really bad people come from Mexico and commit crimes.

“People are coming in and having two, three, four babies and going on welfare. Some are making money here and spending it back in Mexico.

"That’s not right. They should go back to Mexico and get a permit.”

Mrs Wright, whose American-born husband Ed served in the US Navy, was one of 1,591 people from 89 countries who became citizens at a ceremony in San Diego’s Golden Hall on Tuesday.

Nearly two thirds of them were from Mexico, whose border is just 17 miles from the city.

During the 40-minute ceremony, performed by a judge, the new citizens waved American flags, sang “America the Beautiful” and raised their rights hands as they repeated the oath to “abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty” of another nation.


Some men wore ties emblazoned with the stars and stripes while many women dressed in red, white and blue.

After the oath, some wept, others hugged one another and many turned to the public gallery and flashed broad smiles.

With the number of illegal aliens in the US estimated at anything between eight and 20 million people out of a population of around 303 million, how to deal with the problem is becoming an explosive political issue in the 2008 campaign.

President George W. Bush’s plan to provide a “path to citizenship” was rejected by Congress and branded an “amnesty” by many senior Republicans.

Hillary Clinton’s status as front runner for the White House was damaged recently when she declined to criticise a plan in New York state to give driver’s licences to illegal immigrants.

Previously, new citizens could be relied upon to vote Democratic by a ratio of up to 10 to one. But in San Diego this week there were indications that this could be changing.

“I’ve had several people here, Hispanic people, say ‘No, I’m a Republican’,” said Bill De Risa, a Democratic worker eagerly registering voters outside Golden Hall.

His colleague Mary Kennedy said that one woman had told her she wanted to be a Republican because of immigration policy.

“She felt the Democrats were too soft. She wanted higher fences. It’s a very polarising issue.”

Sarah Thomas, 42, a restaurateur originally from Salway Ash, Dorset and one of about two dozen Britons who took US citizenship, said illegal immigrants should be sent home.

“They need to leave and come back legally.

“Just because somebody has been here for 10 years illegally, not paying taxes, does that give them equal rights? No.”

John Pauls, 46, a Canadian-born doctor, said that illegal immigrants were a major burden on the taxpayers who had to foot their health bills and that insecure borders could allow terrorists to come into the US.

“Those that do come into this country illegally are telling us that they are morally and ethically not trustworthy. They should not be here. It’s insulting to those of us who are here legally.”

Many other new citizens, however, took a more conciliatory stance.

Parsa Haghani, 24, born in Iran, said: “We should help to make them legal so they can have all the benefits of this great land.

“They’re here because they want to be part of this country, they want security, freedom and a future. We are a nation of immigrants and we should extend the opportunities we enjoy to others.”

I believe the Republicans took a long, hard look at the demographics of the electorate and decided that buying Mexican votes with unfettered immigration was their last great hope for winning elections. They knew that most women, blacks and liberal whites would roast in hell before they voted Republican. That left the lowly white male as the primary Republican, with Christian females as the secondary supporter. The lowly white male has been out copulated by minorities and white scumbags. The power and political usefulness of the white male has peaked and is waning rapidly.

The Republicans decided to make sure the floodgates remained open to illegal immigration in the hopes that the newly immigrated illegals would counter act the black and female vote.

Republicans like Tom Tancredo are simply trying to be enough of an irritant to at least get the barn door closed  - better late than never. America has seen it's last conservative, white male President.

I believe the Republicans destroyed the nation in a desperate gamble to remain in office.

My Wife's family came from Costa Rica about twelve years ago. They went through the process legally, got their papers, spent tons on lawyer fees. They feel that most immigrants that come in illegally do not appreciate the process it takes to become a citizen nor bother trying to do so.  

No.

They're fooling themselves for thinking so.

Quoted: Ironically, some new immigrants seem to want the door shut behind them and find the welfare state wrong.

You are aware that these are legal immigrants, who dont want the door shut behind them for other legal immigrants, right?

No.

Money is the root of allowing illegal immigration.

The GOP just realized-WHAT AR15.COM REFUSES TO DO- that the US needs more lettuce and tomato pickers.

Wait a minute here...

I thought that San Diego County was one of the most conservative voting counties in the US.

Quoted: The GOP just realized-WHAT AR15.COM REFUSES TO DO- that the US needs more lettuce and tomato pickers.

The US needs to repeal the outmoded, Great Depression-era child labor laws that prevent kids from doing Manuel labor.

any gain in voters would be more than offset by the TOTAL ALIENATION of their base.

No tomatoes in your salad for you!

And no more emergency room visits as your local ER has to treat all our visitors from the south first.

Can't pick tomatoes or lettuce when sick or hurt.

It's still illegal....

New US citizens who immigrated legally have little in common with illegal immigrants. One by nature follows the rule of law and the other by nature opposes the rule of law.

They don't want to be lettuce pickers forever.

Unfettered immigration from Mexico won't aid either party, it will change the landscape of the southern states to the point where Mexico will be calling the shots and whoever is in the White House will have the fight of their life to regain control.

Quoted: Unfettered immigration from Mexico won't aid either party, it will change the landscape of the southern states to the point where Mexico will be calling the shots and whoever is in the White House behind the lines will have the fight of their life to regain control.

FIXED

Quoted: Quoted: The GOP just realized-WHAT AR15.COM REFUSES TO DO- that the US needs more lettuce and tomato pickers. The US needs to repeal the outmoded, Great Depression-era child labor laws that prevent kids from doing Manuel labor.

Yup. my son started his first business at about 8 yrs old . He isnt 16 yet and is pissed about all the restrictions already..

Not a chance this is helping the GOP.  And they didn't do it to get votes of immigrants (legal or not), they did it to get money and votes from employers.

Quoted: Quoted: The GOP just realized-WHAT AR15.COM REFUSES TO DO- that the US needs more lettuce and tomato pickers. The US needs to repeal the outmoded, Great Depression-era child labor laws that prevent kids from doing Manuel labor.

But Manuel needs a job too!

Quoted: New US citizens who immigrated legally have little in common with illegal immigrants. One by nature follows the rule of law and the other by nature opposes the rule of law.

+1.  Don't confuse people who did things by the book with people who did whatever they pleased.

Most legal immigrants I've known (including my current sister-in-law and my brother's ex) sound alot like most ARFCOMers when it comes to illegals.  I'm not surprised most would be law-and-order types who naturally support Republicans.

And remember, legal immigrants can vote, unlike illegals, who need help from Congress or unscrupulous poll workers.

The legal immigrants I've known hate the illegals with a passion.  The legals fully embrace and assimilate into life in America, and freely admit that if life were so great in their home countries they would have stayed there!  They also appreciate the freedoms in this country that we take for granted - including RKBA - and are more likely to vote and work for "conservative" values as they've seen hwo the leftists and dictators have f***ed up their home countries.

no

I'll tell you what:

Karl Rove and Pres. Bush Jr were right on exactly 2 things:

• Partial Birth Abortion


• Tax Cuts

That was inside the 1st year.

On spending, entitlements, the "War on Terra'" and all the other "crap the bed" things those jokers have done since then... total disaster. Including not watching the f'ing border.

RP for '09, BABY!

Any gain from bringing in/being friendly to the illegals has been lost many times over by the hostility they have generated from their own base.




-K

How bout we turn off the entitlements and welfare systems.  Do that alone and America won't be nearly so attractive to the leaches from across the border.