Results 1 to 6 of 6
Like Tree6Likes

Thread: Alabama Senate race: Heated immigration talk takes cues from Trump

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

  1. #1
    Administrator Jean's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    65,443

    Alabama Senate race: Heated immigration talk takes cues from Trump

    Brian Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser Published 7:01 a.m. CT July 23, 2017

    There is little policy nuance in the race for Alabama’s Senate seat. There is almost none when it comes to immigration.

    Republican candidates seeking their party's nomination on Aug. 15 gave almost unequivocal support to President Donald Trump's plans for a border wall and immigration policies, while suggesting strong support for an immigration system that would favor the wealthy and highly educated.

    “We should only bring into America people who are going to add to the gross domestic product per capita, the best and the brightest and those with capital resources,” said U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville. “The people who are going to be job creators.”

    Attitudes toward immigrants who labor in other fields, like agriculture or construction, were, with a few exceptions, less welcoming. Most candidates seemed reluctant to discuss quotas or backlogs on family or work visas.

    Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, said he was willing to “look at visa caps” in some professions.

    “We need more work visas for farmers,” he said. “We need to make sure (workers) stay here legally.” But Pittman then added that he wanted to “look at” the future of birthright citizenship, guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

    Small but growing

    The heat generated over the issue -- with GOP candidates viewing immigration with skepticism in most cases -- might suggest that Alabama is seeing large waves of immigrants coming into the state. In fact, the foreign-born population in the state, while growing, remains relatively small.

    In 2015, about 170,000 Alabamians came from another country, according to the Washington D.C.-based Migration Policy Institute. That was a large increase over the 88,000 foreign-born residents in 2000, but Alabama remains behind national immigration trends: Immigrants make up about 3.5 percent of the state’s population, compared with 13.5 percent of the United States as a whole.


    “The immigrant community that we have today is not unlike any immigrant community we have had in previous years,” said Isabel Rubio, director of the Birmingham-based Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama. “Immigrants are having a huge impact, particularly in doing jobs other people don’t want to do.”

    About 32 percent of immigrants in Alabama come from Mexico, with Central American and Asian countries, most notably South Korea and India, also having significant communities here. Immigrants in Alabama tend to be younger than the population as a whole, with higher rates of marriage.

    Alabama politicians, though, tend to treat immigration solely as an emergency. In 2011, the Alabama Legislature passed and Gov. Robert Bentley signed HB 56, which gave law enforcement broad powers to detain those they had “reasonable suspicion” of being in the country unlawfully and also affected business contracts and education requirements. Rep. Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, the sponsor of the bill, later testified the law aimed to encourage undocumented immigrants to leave Alabama.

    The law provoked widespread criticism, protests and several lawsuits. Federal courts, citing federal responsibility for enforcing immigration laws, gutted most of HB 56, but Republican Senate candidates said they largely agreed with its aims. Pittman said he would support a national version of the HB 56 to “start debate” – there have to be fewer people coming here illegally,” he said – while former Chief Justice Roy Moore said he supported the premise of HB 56.

    “I think states should be allowed to act in this manner to stop illegal aliens from coming in,” he said. “Every state has the same right.”

    According to the Pew Research Center, the number of undocumented immigrants in Alabama fell from an estimated 80,000 in 2009 to 65,000 in 2014, a drop of about 19 percent. That drop came as the number of unauthorized immigrants nationwide stayed steady. In the South, Georgia and South Carolina also saw decreases in their undocumented populations; Louisiana and Virginia saw increases, and the rest were unchanged.

    Rubio said many immigrants in the state learned from HB 56, and that the experience prepared them for "the same story all over again” with Trump's election.

    “It’s certainly increased fear in communities, although we continue to help people know what their rights are,” she said. “It’s not healthy for a society to live in fear.”

    Walls

    Alabama Republican Senate candidates more or less follow the immigration script Trump used on the campaign trail, and focus particularly on Trump’s call for the construction of a wall on the U.S.- Mexico border. The degrees to which candidates support that project – the effectiveness of which is disputed – has become a point of attack in the Republican primary, but all say they support the idea; Trump’s Muslim travel ban and increased enforcement generally.

    “With new Republican leaders in Washington, I have taken action to crack down on sanctuary cities, which undermine the safety of all Americans, and I am working to help President Trump deliver on his promise to build the wall,” Sen. Luther Strange said in a statement.

    Moore said he would support construction of a border wall “if it takes a border wall to stop” undocumented immigrants from entering the country. But he also suggests deployments of troops to the border to address the issue.

    “You’re actually using the force that already exists,” he said. “It could cost more, but it might not be as expensive as the other solutions.”

    The Republican candidates also seemed unenthusiastic about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), deferring immigration enforcement against undocumented immigrants brought to the United States when they were children. Brooks said people “who are here illegally through no fault or little fault of their own” should be considered for legal status “to the extent our economy can support the influx in foreign labor without hurting Americans who are already here.”

    Moore criticized former President Barack Obama’s executive action in creating DACA, though he hedged on whether he would support a bill in Congress to carry out its provisions. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have filed legislation in Congress to that effect.

    Brinson, who has stressed his experience with international work throughout the campaign, said he favored improved border security but also said the country should work more closely with Mexico and Central America on policy, saying it would help create conditions that would make immigration less likely.

    “If we had a more robust Latin American foreign policy, we would have fewer threats to the border,” he said.

    In the other party primary, Democratic candidate Doug Jones denounced Trump’s immigration efforts, saying the president lumped a handful of dangerous criminals with “the much larger number who are seeking opportunity for the families or fleeing political social oppression and violence.”

    “The last wall that was constructed to stop people’s movements between countries was the Berlin Wall,” Jones wrote in answers to emailed questions. “The United States of America is better than that.”

    One issue the GOP candidates mostly avoid: legal immigration or status. Waiting lists on family visas from some countries stretch back decades, and guest visas for agricultural workers are often delayed. But the candidates in interviews were at best noncommittal on improving methods of immigration, and some were hostile to it.

    “Do we want to be another India where we’re all crammed on top of each other in apartments in high density population areas with the risk of us outstripping natural resources, or lowering the standard of living here?” Brooks said. “Is that the country we want to be 100 or 200 years from now?”

    Jones, who called HB 56 a “sick joke,” said he favored reassessing the existing quota system and looking at overhauls to administrative procedures for immigration.

    “If we can make a more streamlined process of allowing immigrants into this country legally without all of the backlogs and quotas, we would have far less undocumented immigrants,” he wrote.

    When asked if they see benefits from immigration, the candidates tend to speak of highly-educated immigrants, like doctors and health care personnel.

    “I think immigration from India and Pakistan brought skill sets to us, especially in areas of technology and science,” said Randy Brinson, former head of the Alabama Christian Coalition. “That is something. The state of Alabama benefits tremendously from their skill sets in economic development.”

    While most of the candidates speak broadly about the benefits of immigration, Rubio said the current detention policies pursued by the Trump administration were making immigrants more reluctant to contact law enforcement when facing domestic violence or other criminal activity.

    “It makes people reluctant to reach out for help if they need that if they have been a victim of a crime,” she said. “When we create these different societies and stratas, it winds up affecting everyone.”

    http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/...ump/499598001/
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  2. #2
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    55,883
    The obscenity of illegal immigration into the US has to end.
    A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
    Save America, Deport Congress! - Judy

    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  3. #3
    Super Moderator imblest's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    8,320
    I am getting email from Judge Roy Moore saying he is leading the polls in the race to replace Sessions. Does anyone know anything about this?
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  4. #4
    Administrator Jean's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    65,443
    Quote Originally Posted by imblest View Post
    I am getting email from Judge Roy Moore saying he is leading the polls in the race to replace Sessions. Does anyone know anything about this?
    Poll: Judge Roy Moore Remains Front-Runner To Fill Sessions’ Seat
    "He’s shown the courage of his Christian conviction."

    By Randy DeSoto
    on July 18, 2017 at 2:49pm

    Judge Roy Moore remains in a strong position to win Alabama’s special election Republican primary next month to fill Jeff Sessions’ seat in the U.S. senate.

    Recent polling shows the former state chief justice polling at 28 percent to the Washington establishment’s choice in the race — recently appointed Sen. Luther Strange — who is garnering 23 percent, followed by Congressman Mo Brooks at 21 percent.

    Veteran national conservative columnist and Mobile resident Quin Hillyer told Western Journalism that whatever Moore’s public poll numbers are, they are “his floor and not his ceiling” for the actual election day results on Aug. 15.

    “My best estimate, based on Alabama voting history, is that Roy Moore is seriously under-polling compared to what he will actually get,” Hillyer said.

    “Moore’s voters are enthusiastic and they are organized and they will turn out, even in what otherwise will be a low-turnout election,” he added.

    Hillyer said Strange and Brooks are battling it out to to face Moore in the run-off which will take place Sept. 26 if no candidate manages to get over 50 percent.

    http://www.westernjournalism.com/roy...sessions-seat/
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  5. #5
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    55,883
    Is Roy Moore on our side to stop illegal immigration, deport illegal aliens and reduce legal immigration?
    A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
    Save America, Deport Congress! - Judy

    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  6. #6
    Super Moderator imblest's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    8,320
    Immigration

    We must stop the flow of illegal aliens across both our northern and southern borders. Open borders are a threat to our national security and to our economy.


    We must allow willing states (like Arizona) to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens, and use our own military to protect our border. If a wall is our only option, then we should build it immediately.


    https://www.roymoore.org/Positions/
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

Similar Threads

  1. Poll shows Trump and Cruz in lead in Alabama GOP primary race
    By Newmexican in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 02-24-2016, 08:27 AM
  2. Judge Andrew Napolitano Predicts Talk of Impeachment if GOP Takes Senate
    By AirborneSapper7 in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-24-2014, 07:55 PM
  3. FL: Immigration bill sparks heated debate in Senate
    By Jean in forum illegal immigration News Stories & Reports
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-05-2011, 12:38 AM
  4. CO-Senate immigration debate gets heated
    By FedUpinFarmersBranch in forum illegal immigration News Stories & Reports
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 08-18-2008, 02:06 PM
  5. Debate Gets Heated ! - Alabama
    By GirlGeek in forum illegal immigration News Stories & Reports
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 09-15-2006, 10:32 AM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •