Republicans tell illegal aliens: stay out
By Karen Lowe
SAN DIEGO (AFP): Republicans had a stern and unapologetic warning Wednesday for those trying to enter the United States illegally: Stay out.
Texas Railroad Commissioner Carol Keaton Rylander said the United States takes in more aliens legally than all other nations combined, but complained that illegal immigrants breach the southwest border regularly.
"We must not compromise. We must not apologize for our commitment to upholding the laws of our land," she said. "We are a very generous country but our generosity should not be mistaken for foolishness or weakness."
"To those who come to America legally, we open our arms, we open our hearts. America can be a dream come true. To those who break the law of our land, we will control our borders with every ounce of our determination," she said.
The United States' five million Hispanic voters are watching closely how the Republican and Democratic conventions handle the controversial immigration issue before they cast their votes November 5.
The latest census showed that some 22 million Hispanics live in the United States, in addition to an estimated four million illegal immigrants.
Texas and California are the two states that have borne the brunt of illegal immigration, most from Latin America. The party's anti-immigration stance has been one of its more controversial policies.
Jack Kemp, the running mate of presumed Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole, finally conformed his more tolerant views toward immigration to the Republicans' tougher line under pressure.
California Governor Pete Wilson was so incensed over Kemp's views toward immigration that he threatened to withhold support until Kemp backed his state's measure to curtail social services to illegal immigrants.
California holds 54 of the needed 270 electoral votes needed to win the November presidential elections. With the stakes so high, Kemp on Monday conceded.
"We will do our best to make sure there is a federal government that recognizes that it should compensate the state of California and the governor of California for the cost of illegal immigration," Kemp said Wednesday.
The Republican platform says illegal aliens should not receive benefits other than emergency aid and those who become parents while residing here illegally should not get benefits for their offspring.
Under its provisions, legal immigrants would largely depend on their sponsors for assistance, a measure that is contained in a welfare reform bill that President Bill Clinton agreed to sign.
Latino activists say Hispanics are being used as scapegoats for a nation that blames its problems on illegal immigrants while relying on them for a cheap pool of labor.
The Republican positions have also fanned anti-immigrant sentiments to the point where Americans no longer make the distinction in their attitudes between recently arrived legal and illegal immigrants, Hispanic leaders say.
The issue has loomed large over the Republican National Convention this week in San Diego, California, only 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the border with Mexico, which illegal immigrants cross daily to work in the United States.
On the opening day of the convention, Mexican-Americans and immigrants marched through the San Diego streets to protest what they called racist policies toward Hispanics by both the Democrats and Republicans.