The Anti-Sam Brownback Blog

Spurred by a Wichita Eagle article and a need to procrastinate studying for finals I thought I would bring up the topic of immigration.

Republicans seem to think immigration will be the next gay marriage style hotbutton issue. They believe that it will fire up the base and continue to peel away middle class voters from the Democrats.

There’s just one problem. Many business interests, traditionally the part of thier base that holds the purse strings, are opposed to stricter immigration controls. They know that many areas of our economy are resting upon the backs of cheap, often exploited, illegal labor.

As a result of this trepidation, Republicans are split on what type of reform is needed. President Bush has advocated a guest worker plan that would allow existing illegal immigrants to keep working here for a certain amount of time and for a fee. Other Republicans want to clamp down on the border and work on deporting existing illegal immigrants.

Senator Sam Brownback falls closest to the Bush guest worker plan. Why does he hold this position? Brownback is supporting the meatpacking industry in Kansas which is staffed almost completely with illegal immigrants. This stance has not won him many friends in the emerging anti-immigrant movement:

Americans for Better Immigration gives Brownback a D-

Numbers USA also lists many negative (in their view) Brownback votes on immigration

Both of these groups are hardcore “deportation” advocates.

While the pundits continue to claim the issue of immigration will be huge in 2006, I have yet to see significant attempts to put through legislation. I don’t think Bush will push the issue since it will divide republicans and he hardly has any political capital to spare.

[Update] Check out this Bloomberg story on immigration and the California 48th district special election. More speculation that anti-immigrant republican candidates will attempt to move the issue in the 2006 congressional primaries.