Latino support for GOP party is gaining strength
Markos Moulitsas, in his “GOP’s Latino problem” column on Feb. 16 in The Hill, quotes without attribution figures from the 2008 elections to “prove” that Republicans are losing the Hispanic vote.
Apparently Mr. Moulitsas missed the 2010 elections. Let me provide some numbers from that election:
Just three months ago, 38 percent of Hispanic voters cast ballots for House Republican candidates, according to exit polls reported by CNN. That’s more than in 2006 (30 percent) and 2008 (29 percent). Republicans picked up 63 House seats in that election — many of them in districts with large Hispanic populations.
Republican support is growing among Hispanic voters because Republicans agree with U.S. citizens of Hispanic descent that illegal immigration hurts all Americans. Among native-born Hispanics without a high school degree, 35 percent are either unemployed, are forced to work part time or are so discouraged that they have left the labor force.
These are among the Americans hurt by illegal immigrants who come here to take U.S. jobs.
Mr. Moulitsas and other backers of amnesty like to pull the race card. But illegal immigrants are not all Hispanic and many don’t cross our southern border. Instead, 40 percent of illegal immigrants came here on a valid visa and never left. They represent races, colors and creeds from all over the world. What they have in common is that they are illegally in the United States and are taking American jobs at a time when 14 million Americans are out of work.
I recently chaired a hearing on E-Verify, an easy-to-use, accurate, computer-based employee verification system that ensures people have a legal right to work in the United States. It doesn’t ask ethnicity. It doesn’t ask place of worship. It simply makes sure the person’s name, date of birth and Social Security number or alien identification number match. If they do, the process is over. If it doesn’t, and the person has a legal right to work in the United States, the employee then has an opportunity to resolve the discrepancy, which most do successfully within a few days.
With E-Verify in place, illegal immigrants from wherever they hail will be barred from taking American jobs. And every American, regardless of their ancestry, will have access to those jobs.
That won’t stop Mr. Moulitsas from race-baiting. But it will be a win for all Americans.