In the latest blow to GOP minority outreach, the big news of the day involves Rep. Don Young (R-AL), who referred to immigrants as “wetbacks” while speaking on a local radio station yesterday:
“My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” Young, an Alaska Republican, told a local radio station in a story posted Thursday. “It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine.”
Young has non-apologized since then, saying that his comments used to be a common term and that he “meant no disrespect.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), hardly a friend to immigration reform, was quick to rebuke Young:
“Migrant workers come to America looking for opportunity and a way to provide a better life for their families,” Cornyn (R-Texas) said in a statement. “They do not come to this country to hear ethnic slurs and derogatory language from elected officials. The comments used by Rep. Young do nothing to elevate our party, political discourse or the millions who come here looking for economic opportunity.”
San Antonio Express-News: Immigration reform gaining support in Congress
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Politico: Eric Cantor: Immigration deal tough but doable
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The Hill: Cantor: Comprehensive bill on immigration reform will be ‘tall order’
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Roll Call: Graham Getting Heat Over Immigration Efforts
By Humberto Sanchez
Reuters: Organized labor says closer to deal on immigration reform
By Rachelle Younglai
ABC/Univision: What Happens If Immigration Reform Ignores Future Workers?
By Ted Hesson
Christian Science Monitor: ‘Path to citizenship’ roils immigration reform. But what is it, exactly?
By David Grant
Washington Post: Republican Rep. Don Young refers to Latinos using racial slur
By Aaron Blake
Politico: Rep. Don Young on ‘wetbacks’ comment: I ‘meant no disrespect’
By Katie Glueck
ThinkProgress: Top Republican Warns Of French People Illegally Crossing Mexican Border In South Texas
By Igor Volksy
New York Daily News: Immigration: If the Defense of Marriage Act is struck down, same-sex immigrant couples could benefit
By Allan Wernick
Washington Post (The Fix): The debate over a path to citizenship is resolved among the public, if not in Congress
By Sean Sullivan and Scott Clement
Huffington Post Latino Voices (Blog): No Place for Scare Tactics in Immigration Reform Debate
By Carlos Uresti and Jose Rodriguez
The Hill (Blog): Immigration reform: The view from California
By Marielena Hincapie and Reshma Shamasunder
Washington Times (Opinion): Smart alternatives to immigrant detention
By Julie Myers Wood and Steve Martin
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Illegal immigration crackdown expansion OK’d
By Jeremy Redmon
Columbus Dispatch: Ohio university presidents urge immigration reform
By Encarnita Pyle
Associated Press (Arizona): Study: Deportation doesn’t deter border crossings
The Oregonian: Talk of immigration reform sparks Oregon increase in fraudulent tax preparers and lawyers, experts say
By Andrea Castillo
