http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=72602

WisPolitics: Speaker Says Fear of Alienating Latinos Stalls Immigration Reform
9/22/2006

By Joe Petrie
For WisPolitics.com

MILWAUKEE -- Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, gave a lecture at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Thursday evening about the ongoing political crisis the country is facing in regards to immigration.

According to Suro, immigration (both legal and illegal) is continuing to climb at an astronomical rate in this country. However, neither of the two major political parties are willing to make any decisions on new immigration policy because they're afraid of isolating the Latino population.

"It has been the policy of George Bush and Karl Rove since he was governor of Texas to try and recruit Hispanics into the Republican Party," Suro said. "They both believe that without Hispanics the party may be extinct by the year 2010, or 2012."

Suro stated that according to a recent Gallup poll on immigration, views are divided along regional lines as opposed to political lines. Both Republicans and Democrats are more receptive to immigrants in urban areas where immigrant populations are booming, according to the poll.

However, in rural areas where immigrants are relatively low in numbers, most people find immigrants to be dangerous to American jobs and national security, according to the poll.

"The reason most urban residents both conservative and liberal find immigrants to be good people because they feel that they have strong family values and a good work ethic," Suro said. "However areas with less population and less immigrant population are afraid that immigrants only want to go on welfare and commit crimes.

"This might be explained by the poll, which says that rural residents feel legal immigrants only take jobs, while illegals hurt national security."