Primary election

Immigration grabs stage in GOP race for governor

Poizner takes case to border

By John Marelius, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 12:02 a.m.

SAN YSIDRO — It’s like 1994 all over again.

Just as it did 16 years ago, illegal immigration has become a white-hot public issue, even if the protests and counterprotests are less intense.

And just as it did then, illegal immigration has come to dominate the campaign for governor of California.

It’s a turn of events that has surprised analysts who figured that with double-digit unemployment and a $20 billion state budget deficit, other issues would be crowded off the agenda.

“I thought this cycle, because of the economic problems, that we’d have candidates who would ignore immigration and concentrate on jobs, jobs, jobs,â€