Suman Raghunathan
Where Do the Candidates Stand on Immigration? Huckabee on Immigration
Now that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is playing David to Mitt Romney’s Goliath in Iowa with his recent surge in the polls, I thought this is a good time to look at his stances on immigration policy.
(For DMI’s take on what smart progressive immigration policy that benefits the American middle class looks like, click here.)
Huckabee released his immigration plan just before participating in a Univision-sponsored (that’s the Spanish-language media conglomerate, not a company devoted to eye health) Republican Presidential candidate debate in Miami this past Sunday night.
Turns out Huckabee, a Baptist minister, personal testament to weight loss, and other favorite son of Hope, Arkansas after Bill Clinton, is a mixed bag. And I don’t mean a bag of donuts.
Huckabee has in the past drawn fire from anti-immigrant groups for his *slightly* more common-sense attitudes to immigration. These positions have included proposals to extend merit scholarships to exemplary undocumented students who hoped to attend state universities during his tenure as Governor (in a local version of the federal DREAM Act, a perfect example of win-win immigration policy–which extends legal status to undocumented young people who personify the American dream, and has been in the legislative hopper for over seven years) and for saying sane things on immigration like,
"Unfortunately, instead of being angry at the federal government for totally failing us [on immigration policy], [people] sometimes get angry at [immigrants] themselves.”
However, looks like now that his star is rising in the polls, Huckabee is jumping on the good ol’ anti-immigrant bandwagon (endearingly referred to as ‘Tancredoism’ in the latest issue of The New Yorker)with most of his Republican (and Democratic, for that matter) candidate brethren. In fact, Huckabee’s nativist credentials just got a boost this week when the anti-immigrant vigilante group the Minutemen (chock-full of links to the Ku Klux Klan and various other white supremacist friends) endorsed Huckabee in Iowa.
Let’s start with the bad and end with the worst, shall we?
Ramping up the Border Fence
Huckabee has been consistent in his support for a ramped-up border fence to “end illegal immigration” before dealing with undocumented immigrants already living and working in the US. Sort of specifically, he supports an ‘interlocking’ camera surveillance system (somehow I don’t think he’s referring to something in Interlochen, a Swiss ski resort– but your guess is as good as mine) on the US-Mexico border. Huckabee’s plan also requires the border fence to be completed by 2010, vows to increase the number of Border Patrol agents by an as-yet unnamed number, and promises to ‘fully support’ all those enforcing immigration law. Great, Mike. You and I both know that as federal border enforcement spending has tripled, so has the number of undocumented immigrants entering the country. So tell me how and why this is going to ‘stop illegal immigration’ after 2010?
Employer Sanctions
Huckabee’s immigration platform continues with its crystal-clear economic sense by focusing on penalizing employers for hiring undocumented workers – a stance that can further cripple the economy, which many Americans feel is limping along at best – instead of focusing on enforcing existing worker protection laws, which are already on the books and apply to all workers regardless of their immigration status. (Click here for what I’ve said on employer sanctions in the past, and on how they do nothing to help American workers, let alone immigrant ones.)
Long story short, past experience has shown that an employer sanctions system only serves to drive undocumented workers deeper into an underground economy where their rights and wages are threatened and in turn depress the wages and working conditions of all US workers. Employers don’t fire undocumented workers once they find out they may lack legal status – they simply proceed to use their immigration status – or lack thereof – as form of anti-worker blackmail to force immigrant workers to work for less in unsafe conditions.
But wait – Huckabee’s plan goes even further! His platform declares, “denying [most illegal immigrants] jobs is the centerpiece of an attrition strategy.” In addition, the local UHF star of religious talk shows proposes we prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA)from accepting any tax identification numbers (and, I’m assuming, tax contributions) from individuals whose numbers may, just may, not match up with the famously-flawed SSA database of those authorized to work in the country.
Attrition toward what, Governor Huckabee? Economic suicide? Study after study has shown the crucial role immigrants, documented and undocumented, play in our economy at the federal (can you say $5-$7 billion annually going in to save baby boomers’ Social Security system?) and local level (a study of Long Island Latinos, many of them immigrants, generated $5.7 billion in annual impact and $145 million in sales tax receipts for the local economy).
Stopping the feds from receiving immigrant taxpayers’ benjamins, apart from helping to empty federal, state, and local tax coffers, would do nothing to actually change immigration policy or the fundamental reason immigrants are forced into a two-tier economy – an outdated and broken immigration system that doesn’t honor their economic contributions and doesn’t protect their rights in the workplace. But here’s the crowning glory: Huckabee wants to set up a “universal, mandatory citizenship verification system as part of the normal hiring process.” Hurray! Now not only are we going to push undocumented immigrants into the underground economy where they’re forced to work for pitifully low wages in unsafe conditions, now we’re going to welcome immigrants with legal status – including those with green cards – into this dubious club. Great. Makes perfect sense to me how this plan is going to help American workers and our economy.
State and Local Law Enforcement of Immigration Laws
Continuing along on his enforcement trip, Huckabee supports a doozie of local-federal conflict called the CLEAR Act which, among other things, tries to encourage local enforcement personnel to enforce immigration laws – a move opposed by police chiefs and pro-immigrant activists across the country.
If such strange bedfellows agree on the proposal, chances are it actually makes some sense. Police departments complain they’re already overloaded with just enforcing criminal laws, and don’t have the time, resources, or training to enforce complicated immigration law. Plus, pretty much every tenet of community policing believes that in order for the police to do their job, residents need to trust them. If immigrant residents are worried the cops they’re supposed to trust enough to report crimes and serve as witnesses for are going to just turn around and turn them over to immigration authorities, then they probably won’t report such crimes to the authorities.
Who suffers as a result? Everyone, including native-born residents. In the interest of providing communities with essential police, fire, and emergency services, police and other first responders need to first build trust in such communities. Worrying immigrant residents that they or members of their family will be turned into immigration authorities if they report a crime is clearly not going to help with community policing. Way to go, Huckabee.
A Path to Citizenship for the Undocumented
And here, folks, is one of the crowning glories of Huckabee’s immigration platform. Yup, the ‘other guy’ from Hope, Arkansas (the first one was Bill Clinton) has a singularly impractical take on blazing a trail to citizenship for those undocumented immigrants already in the US who want to become US citizens. He, um, wants them to blaze a trail back home to apply to come back to the US. After they first ‘register’ with federal immigration authorities within 3 months of Huckabee’s imaginary bill becoming law. If said undocumented folks don’t register, then leave, they would then be barred from returning to America for ten years.
Well. Way to go to come up with a way to bring people out of the shadows, Mike. Barring people from entering the country won’t really be a problem, because undocumented folks will clearly not buy into your plan, which amounts to little more than a surefire way to make folks stay in the underground economy and NOT come out of the shadows. Talk about a lack of incentive to legalize. Oh right, I forgot: there is no option to legalize in your plan, Governor Huckabee.
Huckabee’s plan would also increase the number of visas available to highly-skilled or educated workers – programs which often end up unfairly tying skilled foreign workers to unscrupulous companies who then proceed to pay their workers lower wages than their American counterparts while making them beholden to their employers for green cards and worker protections.
Score one for fat cat high-tech companies, zero for highly-skilled immigrant workers.
Huckabee started out sort of ok a few years ago on immigration policy – during his tenure as Governor, he actually opposed a state proposal to ban public services to undocumented immigrants – but as his political star has risen, his common-sense attitude to immigration has sunk. Only the universe knows how much further he’ll sink into political pandering to the right as the primary season goes into full swing.
I for one am scared.
Suman Raghunathan: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 8:19 AM, Dec 12, 2007 in Immigration | The Candidates on Immigration
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Comments
Fight illegal immigration. Contact your elected reps. and demand they co-sponsor the Save Act. The House bill is HR 4088. The Senate bill is S2368.
Visit NumbersUSA for more details.- http://www.numbersusa.com/actionbuffet
Only vote for candidates willing to support this bill. It forces all employers to verify social security numbers.
Let's take our country back !
Posted by: magyart | December 12, 2007 11:39 PM
"Let's take our country back"...
I've got news for you - it's owned by Japan and China that own the US$ not by illegal immigrants who are lucky to get paid at all.
Talking of money does it strike you as at all alarming that none of the candidates have mentioned the cost of a war on illegal immigration?
The US is not winning either the war in Iraq or the war on drugs (which involves securing borders) despite the billions of taxpayers money being pumped in; why should a war on immigration be any cheaper or any more effective?
Immigration - ask the price before you buy.
Posted by: uk visa | December 13, 2007 09:49 AM
SAVE OUR COUNTRY! TAKE IT BACK! CALL YOUR CONGRESSMEN!
Oh my God!! What did you people DO before the internet??? And if they disabled the cut & paste feature on your Windows... could you come up with a creative, original thought? That you could REALLY support? With facts... that come from somewhere besides some suped-up militant nazi web page? Oh snap... you DO realize that everything that is published isn't necessarily TRUE, don't you?
If I see one "Take our country back.." post, I see the SAME one 15 times. How 'bout this:
How 'bout you get off your computer, and get one of those jobs that atracts those "illegal scumbags" you detest. If the employer won't give it to you because you're too white... or too black... grap a picket sign and organize a protest. Otherwise, you might just be sitting in a climate controlled government subsidized home snacking on food-stamp-paid-for goodies and pounding away at how illegals are taking your country away from you because you think a job making $10/hour for manning a lobby desk isn't worth staying awake (or drug free) to keep.
I'm a Republican. Pro-lifer. Gun-totin'. Daugther of THIRTEEN Revolutionary War Heros who set a family tradition of shedding blood for this country. And I'm frickin' sick and tired of seeing you guys strirring a pot of sticky crap just because you like the smell - and then no one will get close enough to empty the damn thing.
If you ain't part of the solution - then STOP being part of the problem. THAT'S how you can SAVE OUR COUNTRY!
Posted by: Beth | December 14, 2007 06:16 PM
The Heck With That!
I'm voting for the only qualified candidate that has a proven track record of conservatism and detailed plans which were copied by his competition. Fred Dalton Thompson - 44th President.
If you want to understand that the information above is merely another reinvention the Huckster has made to fool you out of your vote and one of only several reasons I could never vote for him of any public office;
Immigration group: Huckabee a 'disaster'
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071130/NATION/111300094
Immigration bill un-Christian, anti-life, governor says
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/01/28/News/316347.html
Huckabee defends societal cost of illegal aliens
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/07/07/News/252305.html
While Gov. of Arkansas, Huckabee was AGAINST proving citizenship in order to register to vote. He called those who were in favor of this "racists";
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050218/news_lz1e18perkins.html
Threatened to sue the federal government over the "REAL ID" act...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-10-id-rules_x.htm
Huckabee calls anyone who objects to the Dream Act a "racist"...
http://vdare.com/bevens/050205_huckabee.htm
Mexican consulate deal dogs Huckabee campaign
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58430
Huckabee aid plan for illegal aliens draws 'venom, anger'
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/01/17/News/315406.html
Posted by: Winghunter | December 14, 2007 06:55 PM
Hey Beth!
Snap yourself into some credible information or fork up the $340 Billion per year illegal immigrants and the business's that hire them cost us each year...not to mention the measurable damage to our sovereignty or have you already conveniently forgotten the sea of Mexican flags and the chanting of "Reconquista" or talk of Aztlan...or do you even know what they mean.
Your lineage and whatever other immaterial beliefs you have mean less than nothing and is certainly no excuse not to do your own research and these are the most credible sources that can be found anywhere;
Numbers USA
www.numbersusa.com
The Heritage Foundation
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Immigration/index.cfm
The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration
http://www.usillegalaliens.com/
Americans For Sovereignty
http://www.americansov.org/info/about_americans_for_sovereignty.html
( AND oh, stuff your "nazi" remark where your sun don't shine you ignorant fool. )
Posted by: Chip | December 14, 2007 07:07 PM
Chip, linking to thinktanks you like doesn't equal making a cogent argument.
I can't speak for any other liberal here, but when I quote numbers, I stick to sources that are generally agreed to be high-quality and impartial, such as peer-reviewed studies. Among thinktanks, the only two I can think of are the Guttmacher Institute's numbers on teen pregnancy, abortion, and STD rates, and the Tax Foundation's numbers on how much each person or state or income bracket is paying in taxes.
Also, I'd love for the Republicans to nominate Thompson. Together with Romney, he's the least electable Republican in the race. Giuliani can win. So can McCain. About Huckabee I have no clue; he's a radical conservative who doesn't believe in evolution, but he has Clintonesque warmth. A vote for Thompson or Romney is a vote for Clinton. I'm all for it, but I don't think you are.
Posted by: Alon Levy | December 18, 2007 06:09 AM
Huckabee's plan for winning the nomination and general election:
1. Present a 9-point plan on dealing with illegal immigration. Make it appear that you are tough on illegal immigration to gain the support of the conservative base.
2. Hide your true intention of providing a touchback amnesty unless pressed by persistent questioning. At that point, enough voters will have been sold on your "tough on immigration" stance. They won't take you seriously when you say the following:
"Let's not restrict immigration. Let's legalize it."
"It should be as easy to get a green card as applying for a credit card."
"I don't believe anyone should have to wait years to gain legal status, but days or weeks."
3. After winning the nomination, follow the Bush example of promoting the touchback amnesty provision to pander to Democrats. Rely on Republican voters to be in a state of denial.
Posted by: Jim Atwood | December 24, 2007 07:40 PM
Unless Huckabee can get the nativists in his party to shut up for good, Hispanics will keep giving the Democrats overwhelming margins, so he might as well not bother. Immigration isn't going to be his defining issue anyway; religious fundamentalism is.
Posted by: Alon Levy | December 25, 2007 01:15 PM
Huckabee is a wimp on illegal immigration and his actions make him unsuitable to be President. We do not want another "compassionate conservative" like Jorge Bush. Compassion starts at home and American families are suffering. We are sick of this pandering to criminals. Illegal aliens can attend colleges in their own country. They have already stolen their primary and secondary schooling from American taxpayers. By rights, their own governments should be billed for the costs of what American taxpayers have spent on these illegal aliens. These children need to be deported along with their parents. There is nothing cruel about returning people to their homeland. We have limited resources and want American children to have these resources and not have to compete against illegal aliens for college placement in their own country. Huckabees logic and his defense of his prior policies make him unfit to be the leader we need for this most important issue. We don't want someone who says "they need to get in the back of the line" but rather someone who can tell the lawbreakers to "get out of my country". No more compassionate spineless pandering wimps.
Posted by: Marge | December 29, 2007 10:39 PM
first of all I'm a immigrant and I'm married to a american citizen and have a beautiful 18 month old boy and I love this country and even that I'm not a american citizen yet i can't wait for that moment this country has giving me what my country couldn't (A PLACE TO WORK) and I think I speak for a lot of immigrant when I said this "we don't come here to steal your country we come here to survive and have a life and help the economy of this country grow while we archieve our american dream It won't be fair if a lot of families get separate because of a stupid law or a ignorant president that has never walk on my shoes or any immigrant shoes for that matter we support the economy we dont come here to steal from you we come here for an opportunity to better ourselfs and thank God this is the land of the free and with Gods help this will remain the same I'm pro immigrant because it helps our economy but i also believe that if you live in this country you either love it or leave it by this i mean you need to learn the language the history the foundation of this country be a part of it its not about where you come from but it is about where you going this world was created by God without borders man put the borders the moment the country learn that immigrant are here and accept the fact that are here to stay and help the economy is gonna go sky high be pro immigrant I support and respect this country and I will defend it with my own hands because it has take a special place in my heart GOD BLESS THE USA
Posted by: Juan Serrato | January 4, 2008 01:13 AM
I have no problem with immigrants who come here legally. However those who do not need to be captured and sent back to their own country. They should now have forfeited any chance to ever live in the USA. Also employer4s who knowingly hire illegals should have their buisnees taken away by the government.Also absolutely no aid to anyone who is not a citizen of this country. If you come here, you must have a job and be able to afford your own living expenses.
Posted by: donna | January 5, 2008 07:48 AM