CA State GOP reviewing its border views

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/369978.html
By Susan Ferriss - Bee Staff Writer
Monday, September 10, 2007

At its weekend convention, the California Republican Party decided to postpone adoption of a new platform until February to give members more time to discuss positions, including a possible new and more aggressive plank on immigration, according to state GOP director Hector Barajas.

In the coming months, members of the party's platform committee will consider a number of issues and how lengthy and detailed the platform should be, Barajas said Sunday at the end of a three-day GOP convention in Indian Wells.

During the convention, some members suggested a stronger position against illegal immigration, including a "no amnesty" line, which could define the state party as standing against any future path to legal status for current undocumented immigrants.

Some Republicans prefer a federal immigration reform that would include an earned legal status program for undocumented workers, in combination with new enforcement measures and a supply of work visas to fill future labor shortages.

Currently, the platform says the state GOP is in favor of legal immigration.

Other platform suggestions that could be discussed before the next convention in February include demands for federal reimbursement of what the state spends on services for illegal immigrants; an end to state-funded non-emergency medical services for undocumented immigrants; and a position favoring deputizing state and county law enforcement to inquire about and identify felons who should be deported under federal law.