Thread: Immigration looms large in Florida vote

CAPITOL REPORT
Immigration looms large in Florida vote
Candidates' challenge: Get an immigration policy that appeals to everyone
By Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch
Last update: 7:25 p.m. EST Jan. 25, 2008

TAMPA, Fla. (MarketWatch) -- Cathy Farmer, a 49-year-old Tampa nurse, complains that illegal immigrants are taking jobs that Americans could do. Jon Santiago, 26, thinks there isn't a proper system in place to provide immigrants' children with health care. Seventy-year-old Dan Semenza doesn't have a problem with legal immigrants. But the illegal ones? They're a strain, he says, on American hospitals and schools.

But Semenza, a retired school teacher, speaks for many when he shrugs and says, "You're stuck between a rock and a hard spot" on immigration. That's because some illegal immigrants do jobs current U.S. citizens might not want to do. But they're here -- all 12 million of them -- already, so the issue for presidential candidates is twofold: what to do with them, and what to about those who'd like to come next.

Like perhaps no other issue, illegal immigration is Florida's Catch 22, and Republicans and Democrats alike agree that it's a problem in need of a solution. If the candidates don't have a clear, appealing message about this issue now, they're going to have to get one before they wrap up their campaigns for the state with the country's third-highest population of illegals.

The trouble for the candidates seeking this swing state's 27 electoral votes, though, is that feelings about immigration run the gamut. Some argue that immigrants are needed to fill low-paying jobs. Others say that immigrants ought to be welcomed but that lawbreakers should be sent home. Still others say that hospitals are strained by having to admit illegals.

Looking for a fix
Whatever voters' opinions on the topic, the message to White House hopefuls from Floridians is clear: Do something about illegal immigration.
"It's something that needs to be fixed," says David Royal, a registered Republican and land management company vice president in Bartow, Fla.

Close to 12 million illegal immigrants currently reside in the U.S., according to figures from the Department of Homeland Security. Of those, just under a million live in Florida, giving the Sunshine State the third-highest illegal population after California and Texas. Between 2000 and 2006, Florida's illegal immigrant population saw a 23% increase. Nationwide, most illegal immigrants hail from Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala.

In Florida, where the Republican candidates are in wide-open race, immigration will be a key issue that sways voters, recent interviews suggest. But it's not just Republicans: Democrats are just as concerned and say candidates will have to speak to them about the issue to get their vote on Tuesday and in November.

Candidates' positions are also diverse. Hillary Clinton, for example, voted to build a fence along the U.S. border with Mexico, but also supports a system for making illegal immigrants legal. On the Republican side, ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says U.S. cities can't give sanctuary to illegals because it's a national security risk. Rudy Giuliani also calls for a fence and what he calls a tamper-proof biometric ID card for all non-citizens as well as a national database to keep track of foreigners entering and exiting the U.S.

'A strain...on everything'
Immigration is sometimes characterized as a social issue. But to Floridians, it's just as much an economic issue.

"I think that there's a lot of people here that are taking jobs that are needed by people who are citizens," says 20-year-old Kerstin Briggs, of Tampa. Briggs likes both Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and Clinton but says Clinton's experience makes her better qualified for the White House.

John Tucci, a 71-year-old retired engineer, has a different take.
"Who do you think built our houses?" asks the resident of The Villages retirement community. While Tucci agrees with most of the candidates that U.S. borders must be controlled, he argues that the economy would suffer without immigrants. "How are you going to replace those workers?" he says.

Tucci and Briggs favor Democrats. But Republicans are just as frustrated, if not more, and some say that the steady stream of people into the U.S. is putting a huge strain on the country.

"The country cannot continue to take in the number of illegal immigrants that are coming in," says Semenza, who lives in The Villages. "It's putting a strain on the schools, it's putting a strain on the hospitals, it's putting a strain on the economy...on everything," he says. He acknowledges that illegal immigrants fill low-wage, necessary jobs. But, he says, "I think the numbers don't justify the number of jobs we have here."

The candidates would have it easy if illegal immigration didn't touch on so many issues: crime, employment, health care and even homeland security. If it were a single-feature topic, White House hopefuls could just agree with Robert Frost that good fences make good neighbors. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama all support a fence to keep illegals from entering the country; so do Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

In Florida, though, a fence won't be much of a solution. It's mostly surrounded by water, and the candidates' stance on immigration could sink them if they get immigration wrong.

Robert Schroeder is a reporter for MarketWatch in Washington.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/c ... t=printTop

I hope Romney hammers this issue home and points out John McCain's miserable record on this, especially now that McCain has received the endorsement from his amnesty pal Mel Martinez coupled with the revelation that open borders extremist Juan Hernandez is seriously involved with the McCain campaign.

I think Floridians are a lot more keen on the matter than the article would indicate. The third leading state in illegal immigration must know what is up. I don't think they by and large believe the "jobs Americans won't do" bull. And a fence would help Florida, like it would help the rest of the nation. Its not like their Mexican and Central American illegals are coming over on rafts like the Cubans do.

I remember the debate in Florida, it may have been in Tampa....When Jonh McCain claimed that he never supported amnesty, the crowd actually MOANED. I think Florida knows what's up. Many of their constituents are the conservative Dixie Republicans. Giuliani is probably toast in Florida, and McCain should be soon. The more Floridians wake up to the positions of John, the more he will fall out of favor. I predict Giuliani and McCain getting trounced in Florida, if their views on immigration become common knowledge there.

I think that there's a lot of people here that are taking jobs that are needed by people who are citizens," says 20-year-old Kerstin Briggs, of Tampa. Briggs likes both Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and Clinton but says Clinton's experience makes her better qualified for the White House.

I just don't understand people. They say the illegals are putting a strain on everything but they'll still vote for some idiot who will let all of them stay here. What in the hell is wrong with people?

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!

Having just re-read this story, I see typical journalistic laziness and/or bias here. I realize there is space limitations, but to not note the major differences in both the records and current plans of Romney v. McCain is sloppy (to put nicely).

Moving from General Discussion to News.

What I don't understand is how these reporters are not willing to see that the economy is directly linked to illegal immigration.
The sub prime fiasco is due to illegal aliens given home loans that they can't afford.
I would bet that unemployment is higher than reported also, did you notice that those on unemployment are not helped in the governments stimulus package.
The illegal aliens are doing their job very well, they are to help destroy the economic and social fabric of our country. Beware when our government "fixes" it with the Amero. If the wrong person gets in as President, the one world government they want will be closer to reality.

Originally Posted by Dianer

What I don't understand is how these reporters are not willing to see that the economy is directly linked to illegal immigration.
The sub prime fiasco is due to illegal aliens given home loans that they can't afford.

I would bet that unemployment is higher than reported also, did you notice that those on unemployment are not helped in the governments stimulus package.

The illegal aliens are doing their job very well, they are to help destroy the economic and social fabric of our country. Beware when our government "fixes" it with the Amero. If the wrong person gets in as President, the one world government they want will be closer to reality.

Para #1; Dianer, you hit the nail right on the head. Who else in their right mind would take on a mortgage that they couldn't afford. I believe that the banks were told to give these loans to illegals, and those people, being as uneducated as they are were incapable of doing the math. A lot of them didn't know any better. The whole thing is one of many parts that make up the scam to bust America's dollar and it's economy so that the Amero can be ushered in. The illegals are told what to do and how to aviod detection even before they get here. Mexico has engaged in a silent war against us and our President is leading the way. He is guilty of treason and sedition and should be charged accordingly. He doesn't care AT ALL about the American citizens. In fact, he has done everything he can to work against them.

Para#2; The stimulus is another part of the forementioned scam. Print 225 Billion more and devaluate the dollar that much quicker. No, I didn't know that those on unemployment will not be part of the stimulus. This targets and does great harm to those citizens who are out of work (backwards) while the illegals who are working will benefit (I have read that the illegals will be entitled, but don't know it for a fact). Those who are unemployed and whose benefits have run out are not even counted as unemployed, so yes, there are more unemployed than we are being told.

Para#3: Yes, like I said, they are being rehursed and lied to before they get here. Their lack of education makes them extremely easy to brainwash and I believe that the Mexican govt, with the indirect help of George Bush is doing this. They want to get rid of the last generation in America WHO KNOW DAMN WELL what prosperity and the standard of living ARE SUPPOSED TO BE in this country. It's all part of creating a workforce who will work for pennies in order to compete with China and other rising nations whose currencies are not as valuable as the dollar. Instead of raising the standard of living in those countries to our standard, globalism is bringing our standard down to those countries. It's going to take protectionism in this country to turn it around. We just can have free trade without protectionism at all and this is what the globalists want. If we don't elect a President who will replace free trade with fair trade, our future will be doomed. Our leaders are not protecting our currency and our standard of living (or our borders) and this is also treaon.

tinybobidaho writes:

"I just don't understand people. They say the illegals are putting a strain on everything but they'll still vote for some idiot who will let all of them stay here. What in the hell is wrong with people? "

Tb, unfortunalty, the average American is more concered with reality tv and the latest fashions to even be able to comprehend the magnitude of how their political choices will affect this nation. These are the same people who would vote for a Hillary Clinton and then complain when in four years things have gotten much worse as opposed to better on those issues that concerned them going into the election process.

Those who particiapte on this website and others are generally better educated and intune with how each candidate stands on certain issues. If nothing else, we tend to make the time to educate ourselves on just where each candidate stands on particular issues. We are also not inclined to vote along party lines out of loyality to any partcular party.

This is exactly how someone can say they are against illegal immigration but yet turn around and say they support Hillary Clinton.

It's frustrating to say the least.