Republicans Anti-Immigrant Because Immigrants Are Anti-Republican?

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-02-23 13:13:00 UTC
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It's a classic case of the chicken or the egg -- except, in this case, it's laughably clear to everybody but rabid nativists which came first.

Immigration Impact headlines: "Nativist Group Discovers Most Immigrants Don't Vote Republican." Um, where have they been, exactly? I know that a lot of nativists live in an alternate reality much of the time, but, come on, this is basic stuff we're talking about. Immigrants are less likely to support a party that pushes anti-immigrant policies. Immigrants would be more likely to support that party if it cut it out with the nativist legislation. Duh.

But the Center for Immigration Studies, which about as mired in nativist fantasy-land as you can get, thinks that it's not the Republican Party's anti-immigrant stance that makes immigrants unfriendly to the GOP. Thus, the answer to the party's success is to double down on their anti-immigrant stance, keeping potential future immigrants from entering the country and becoming voting citizens. Because if you let them vote, they're gonna vote Democrat.

I really appreciate how upfront CIS is being about the fact that they think people who don't vote in agreement with them shouldn't be allowed to vote at all. If the Republican Party takes CIS's advice, I wonder if they plan to apply this concept to other demographics that don't vote their way. African-Americans tend not to vote conservative? Let's up with the racism -- and what did we ever get rid of segregation for anyway? Women going Democratic too often? Sexism can stay, but 19th amendment begone: back into the kitchen with you!

Photo credit: photogirl7

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
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