There was a time after the 2012 election when Republicans realized that they had serious demographic issues and needed to do things like pass immigration reform in order to remain competitive with Latino and Asian voters.
Apparently, that moment of reason is past, as evidenced by this week, when President Obama declared legislative immigration reform dead because House Republicans have spent a year making up excuses not to take action. Far from moving toward a solution to a problem, House Republicans are apparently actively regressing to their openly anti-immigrant ways. The House has given Steve King multiple votes to deport DREAMers (and the family members of military veterans). And Bob Goodlatte and Darrell Issa are now calling for an end to DACA, which would mean the resumption of deportations for DREAMers.
That’s right: DACA, according to new polling, is supported by 77% of all Latino voters. But Republicans, who desperately need to attract Latino voters, want to do away with it and increase the deportation of young adults who have lived here nearly their entire lives. It’s no wonder that Jonathan Chait this week described the GOP on immigration as the “fascinating case study of a party unable to act on its recognized political self-interest.”
Below is a copy of Rep. Issa’s letter to President Obama. There are currently 33 signers (i.e. House Republicans proactively driving their party off the demographic cliff): Issa, Pete Sessions (TX), Sam Graves (MO), Lamar Smith (TX), Blake Farenthold (TX), Bilirakis (FL), Blackburn (TN), McClinktock (CA), Duncan (TN), Cotton (AR), Bridenstine (OK), Nunnelee and Harper (MS), LaMalfa (CA), Gosas (AZ), Jenkins (KS), Hartzler (MO), Cole (OK), Mullin (OK), Calvert (CA), Wenstrup (OH), Foxx (NC), Crenshaw (FL, Gingrey (GA, Wittman (VA), Hall (TX), Campbell (CA), Williams (TX), Stockman (TX), Benishek (FL), Jolly (FL), Yoho (FL), Griffin (AR).
