Illegal immigration now at heart of GOP race

[RTO]

WASHINGTON -- More than any other question, Republican presidential candidates are asking voters to consider a single issue in the weeks before primary voting begins: Who detests illegal immigration the most?

Rudolph W. Giuliani, who as mayor of New York supported policies that benefited illegal immigrants, now says he happily would have swept out all 400,000 in his city if only the federal government had cooperated. Mitt Romney mailed a new flier to South Carolina voters Tuesday criticizing three of his rivals as coddlers of illegal immigrants. And Mike Huckabee, fresh from introducing a newly toughened immigration plan last week, on Tuesday accepted the endorsement of the founder of the Minutemen Project, the civilian border enforcement movement.

"Americans are very frustrated that they feel like their government has just ignored a problem, let it get worse, spiraled out of control and, by golly, they expect us to fix it," Huckabee said during a stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he was joined by Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist.

Long a point of tension in the Republican race, illegal immigration has surpassed even national security and the economy as the GOP candidates search for any advantage in neck-and-neck contests in early voting states.

Not only are the candidates toughening their own stances and language, but they are using the issue to paint each other as out of step with the border enforcement wishes of conservative voters. Surveys show that in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, illegal immigration is an issue of significant concern to GOP voters -- more so than some campaign strategists had predicted. A poll published this month in Newsweek showed that 63 percent of likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers considered a candidate's views on illegal immigration to be "very important."

"We've known for a while that it was a significant issue, but for it to overshadow Iraq, the economy and health care is pretty stunning," said Al Cardenas, a Cuba-born former Florida Republican Party chairman who is advising Romney on immigration issues.

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[Horned Toad]

http://www.vdare.com/awall/071210_memo.htm

If they are so tough on immigration how come they went to a spanish speaking debate

[Looon]

Nothing will happen with immigration and the border.

[Jim]

Nothing will happen with immigration and the border.

Exactly!

[rgrking]

Nothing will happen with immigration and the border.

Exactly!

I agree 100%. There are to many political issues with Mexico to do anthing about it. When our NG and BP are getting fired upon by Mexican troops in HUMVEE's there is something wrong.