From: Roy Beck, President, NumbersUSA Date: Thursday 26JAN2012 11:45 p.m. EST
Tonight's Debate Finally Connects Jobs Issue
With Immigration Enforcement -- Huge Milestone
Romney Says Problem Of Illegal Immigration
Is Not Illegal GRANNIES But Illegal WORKERS
I have been exceptionally worried about tonight's debate because it was co-sponsored by a Republican Hispanic consortium of pro-amnesty leaders such as former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.).
But that group produced questions about Cuba and trade with Latin America.
The questions and discussion about immigration went almost totally our way.
Jim Robb -- our Vice President, Operations -- just sent me an email with his verdict on the debate:
"E-Verify -- unchallenged. The E-Verify brand is now firmly established and probably cannot be tainted.
"Self-deportation, a crowd favorite and doggedly defended by two candidates.
"Hispanic vote and immigration enforcement policies? Completely
compatible, according to whole drift of debate."
READ MY FULL DEBATE BLOG
Please take a look at my full blog about the immigration parts of the debate:
https://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/beckr/january-26-2012/debate-starts-11-million -illegal-grandmothers-vs-11-million-illegal-w
There really were some outstanding moments tonight -- phrases and arguments that you can use to good effect.
I will include some excerpts in this email.
THE TOP IMMIGRATION QUOTE OF THE DEBATE
There, somebody finally said it. Was it really so hard?
It has taken five months of these debates to get a single candidate of either party to state the key "why" in the immigration debate. That is, why do we not want the officially estimated 11 million illegal aliens staying in this country.
"You know, our problem is not 11 million grandmothers. Our problem is (APPLAUSE). . . Our problem is 11 million people getting jobs that many Americans (and) legal immigrants would like to have."
-- Romney, Jacksonville, Fla. debate, Jan. 26, 2012
Yes, the problem is about the rule of law and it is about not enticing more illegal aliens here. But why would more illegal aliens be such a big problem? I've waited and waited and waited for even the most anti-amnesty candidates to connect the immigration issue with the supposedly all-important jobs issue.
I honestly do not have an answer for why it has been so difficult for anybody to say what Gov. Romney finally said tonight (including Romney himself), but I am immensely thankful that he did.
I hope all the candidates for President and for Congress this year who oppose illegal immigration will say the same thing over and over again:
Our problem is 11 million people getting jobs that many Americans and legal immigrants would like to have.
All the references to grandparents were because former Speaker Newt Gingrich for months -- and again tonight -- wrapped his advocacy for various kinds of legalization for illegal aliens in terms of whether illegal-alien grandparents are to be deported.
I have much more about this in my blog.
WATCH FOR MEDIA DELETION OF THE SECOND SENTENCE
I am seeing all kinds of references to the problem not being about grandmothers. But a lot -- maybe most -- media are leaving off the second sentence that the "problem is 11 million people getting jobs that many Americans (and) legal immigrants would like to have."
I have been telling dozens of reporters for three years that they need to ask why our country is giving out around 125,000 work permits every MONTH to new immigrants and temporary foreign workers during a time of high unemployment.
I still have not succeeded in getting any major news entity to quote me on that. They quote me on all kinds of things but they continue to censor the jobs connection to immigration numbers.
It will be interesting to see if they censor it out of even this explosive debate segment.
ROMNEY SAYS IT IS REPULSIVE TO LABEL SUPPORT
FOR SELF-DEPORTATION AS 'ANTI-IMMIGRANT'
In response to Gingrich telling the CNN moderator that, yes, he did think Romney was the most "anti-immigrant" candidate, Romney launched into an emotional response that included this:
". . . to use that rhetoric suggests to people that somehow, if you're not willing to keep people here who violated the law, that you're anti-immigrant . . . nothing could be further from the truth."
-- Romney
Romney also called it "repulsive."
SANTORUM HIGHLIGHTS E-VERIFY --
PAUL DECLINES TO SUPPORT E-VERIFY OR SELF-DEPORTATION
A remarkable exchange on immigration issues filled the first quarter-hour of the debate in Jacksonville, Florida.
It began with a question from the crowd: "Can you tell me what specific actions you'll take to address the costly consequences of illegal immigration while preserving the rights of those who seek to immigrate legally?"
CNN's Wolf Blitzer quickly turned it into an examination of the concept of "self-deportation" that Romney raised Monday night and which stumped so many in the news media all week.
Blitzer went first to former Senator Rick Santorum who solidly backed the concept of strong enforcement to cause illegal aliens to voluntarily go back home on their own.
Especially commendable was Santorum's naming the use of E-Verify as a
primary tool for self-deportation.
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich seemed to back away from his ridiculing
the concept as laughable earlier in the week to say that he did think
that stronger enforcement would cause unmarried illegal aliens to go
home on their own. But he said illegal-alien grandparents are highly
unlikely to self-deport.
Following the comments about self-deportation, enforcement and
E-Verify, Congressman Ron Paul was asked if those are viable
solutions.
"Well, I'd talk about (self-deportation and E-Verify), but I don't see it as being very practical.
"I think it's a much bigger problem. You can't deal with immigration
without dealing with the economy. The weaker the economy, the more
resentment there is when illegals come in. If you have a healthy,
vibrant economy, it's not a problem; we're usually looking for
workers."
-- Paul
Read more details and join the discussion at:
https://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/beckr/january-26-2012/debate-starts-11-million -illegal-grandmothers-vs-11-million-illegal-w
And be sure you have sent recent faxes and signed the petition on your NumbersUSA Action Board at:
http://www.NumbersUSA.com/actionbuffet
