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Eli Kantor is a labor, employment and immigration law attorney. He has been practicing labor, employment and immigration law for more than 36 years. He has been featured in articles about labor, employment and immigration law in the L.A. Times, Business Week.com and Daily Variety. He is a regular columnist for the Daily Journal. Telephone (310)274-8216; eli@elikantorlaw.com. For more information, visit beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com and and beverlyhillsemploymentlaw.com

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Friday, May 29, 2015

Jeb Bush rips Republicans for ‘bending with the wind’ on immigration

Washington Post (Plum Line)
By Greg Sargent
May 28, 2015

Jeb Bush has promised us a presidential campaign premised on the idea that he can become the GOP nominee by speaking directly to the general election electorate — which is to say, by delivering a stiff dose of realism to GOP primary voters, rather than pandering to them. Exhibit A: Immigration, where Bush has argued, outrageously, that we aren’t going to deport 11 million people, so it’s time to embrace some form of legalization as the only answer.

Now Bush appears to be ratcheting up the attacks on fellow Republicans — presumably Marco Rubio and Scott Walker — over the issue. Post reporter Ed O’Keefe got access to a private conference call between Bush and Alabama Republicans, in which he seemed to accuse his rivals of “bending with the wind” on immigration:

    He said that he believes President Obama’s executive actions to change immigration laws will be eventually ruled unconstitutional by federal courts. He reiterated that he backs “a path to earned legal status, not citizenship, but earned legal status. Where people get a provisional work permit, where they pay taxes, they pay a fine, they learn English, they work, they don’t receive federal government assistance and they — over extended period of time — they earn legal status.”

    Bush said he welcomed the opportunity to explain his views on both subjects “because I find it interesting that people who share that view — rather than stick with the view and try to persuade people about it — in many cases have actually abandoned their views. I think the next president is going to have tougher times dealing with these issues than dealing with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. If we’re going to bend with the wind, then it’ll be hard to imagine how we solve our problems.”

As O’Keefe notes, that appears to be a reference to Walker and Rubio, both of whom have moved right on immigration after supporting a path to legalization as part of some form of comprehensive immigration reform. The suggestion that immigration may be a tougher thing to handle than Putin is also a nice touch.

It’s good that Bush is throwing down the gauntlet in claiming that GOP candidates should show courage in trying to persuade hostile GOP voters that legalization is the only solution. But it remains to be see how far he’ll go publicly. What’s more, Bush does not deserve a pass here — he, too, has equivocated on legalization.

While it’s true that Bush has taken a grave political risk by suggesting undocumented immigrants might have something positive to contribute to American society, he has also retreated to a safer position, hinting he agrees we must secure the border before legalization. (Immigration advocates see this as tantamount to opposing legalization, since Republicans could easily continue to say in perpetuity that the border still isn’t quite secure enough.)


But this morning it was reported that the flow of illegal immigration is at its lowest point in a very long time. Of course, among many GOP primary voters, it is a given that President Obama has thrown open the border to the hordes. One way Bush could really deliver a dose of realism on this issue — or meaningfully show more courage than his rivals — is to acknowledge the real state of border security today. In light of his comments about Walker and Rubio, he should also be pressed to clarify whether he really thinks some elusive state of absolute border security must be achieved — and if so, how that might be defined — before any legalization scheme can be put in place. If not, he should forthrightly clarify that he agrees we need a comprehensive solution that strives for both.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

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