The Ear - Newsbytes on Immigration
Tuesday Sep. 27… Last week’s Republican debate offered more meat-and-potato answers on the immigration issue thanks in no small part to substantive questions, one of them was posed by our own media staffer Kristen Williamson – “the most substantive question,” according to the Huffington Post.. Did they support E-Verify? The question established the link between jobs and immigration, firing up meaningful and long overdue debate. Looks like the candidates may have gotten the wakeup call that simply promising to secure the borders isn’t enough. Voters want to know how they’re going to deal with the magnets that attract so many illegal aliens in the first place. Just ask Gov. Perry, who is still suffering a debate hangover caused by his defense of illegal alien in-state tuition …. the number of illegal aliens caught crossing the border is down and the Washington Post didn’t miss a beat suggesting in yesterday’s editorial that because of that, it’s time to implement amnesty! New numbers are due out this week from DHS and we’re sure to hear more calls for amnesty now that the “border is secure”- which by the way, it most certainly is not..…a National E-Verify bill passed the House Judiciary Committee and heads to the floor. Prepare for fireworks because the bill strips away the right of states to enforce immigration laws in exchange for E-Verify. This presents an odd quandary for true immigration reform advocates. Our preference? A clean E-Verify bill that retains state rights. Massachusetts to get an immigration bill? It’s a long shot, but an omnibus bipartisan immigration enforcement bill has been introduced that would restrict benefits to illegal aliens and enhance law enforcement’s ability to verify legal status. Could Rhode Island be next?