The Hill
By Mark Hensch
July 4, 2015
He
may be an object of derision to many followers of the 2016 presidential
race, but advocates for tougher border laws are cheering Donald Trump’s
controversial statements
on immigration.
While
they say Trump’s rhetoric could be improved, groups opposed to illegal
immigration are hoping Trump’s recent headlines will force other
Republican candidates to
take firmer stances on border security.
“The
first point to make is that Trump is resonating with a lot of people,”
Mark Krikorian, executive director for the Center for Immigration
Studies, told The Hill.
“It’s
not just Republicans, but a lot of ordinary Americans,” he said. “It’s
precisely because regular politicians aren’t addressing the issues they
are concerned about.”
“When
you’re looking at the whole country – the Democratic and the Republican
electorates both – they’re almost screaming for alternatives to what
they’ve been presented.”
Trump sparked outrage by sharply criticizing Hispanic immigrants and Mexico during his formal campaign launch June 16.
“They’re sending people who have a lot of problems,” he said during his announcement speech at New York’s Trump Tower.
“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” he said. “And some, I assume, are good people.”
Trump
has seen a barrage of business entities terminate relationships with
him since the remarks. Macy’s, NBC and Univision have each cut ties with
the outspoken billionaire
in the wake of his diatribe.
But
despite the bad press, Trump’s campaign is surging. He placed in second
in two recent national polls of the 2016 Republican White House field,
and has seen a particular
surge in the early-voting state of New Hampshire.
Conservative
radio host Steve Deace argued Trump’s words are ringing true with
conservatives who are tired of how they’ve been treated by the
establishment Republican
Party.
“Trump
is simply saying what a lot of average Americans who could care less
what people inside the 202 and 212 area code thinks to some extent,”
Deace told the Hill.
“The idea of this hurting the GOP brand is laughable,” he said. “What brand?”
“They already lie to their conservative base repeatedly,” Deace said of mainstream Republicans.
“Most of the GOP’s base is looking for reasons to revolt,” he added. “The brand here isn’t just damaged – it needs an exorcism.”
Krikorian
said the attention Trump’s rhetoric is getting shows Americans are
still concerned with border security and illegal immigration.
“When people aren’t having their concerns addressed, they’ll listen to the clown,” he said.
But Krikorian sees a path for Trump to change the GOP’s approach to border security even if he doesn’t win the nomination.
“On
the very positive side, if he leads the more conventional candidates to
address our feckless immigration policies in a way most of them have
tried to avoid, then that
could be helpful,” he said.
“Trump could impact every Republican candidate to come closer to his position.”
Republicans
are not unified behind Trump’s controversial rhetoric, though. Some
worry he may hurt the GOP’s credibility as it tries to reclaim the White
House in 2016.
With
many Latinos up in arms over remarks some see as bigoted and racist
towards Hispanic immigrants, Republicans risk alienating a growing
voting bloc.
Other Republican White House hopefuls have rebuked Trump’s language on the 2016 campaign trail.
Former
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former New York Gov. George Pataki each
criticized Trump earlier this week, as did New Jersey Gov. Chris
Christie.
Immigration reform advocate Ira Mehlman said Trump’s remarks inelegantly addressed an issue of real concern for voters.
Border security and illegal immigration are legitimate worries for many Americans, he said.
“Trump
did draw attention to the fact that the border is out of control,” said
Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration
Reform.
“The problem is that the border itself is a symptom, not the problem,” Mehlman said.
“People understand that if they can get into the United States illegally, they’re probably home-free,” he added.
“As long as you keep incentivizing illegal immigration, you’ll never get the border under control.”
NumbersUSA
President Roy Beck, meanwhile, said Trump’s blame is misplaced when he
focuses on immigrants instead of policy decisions.
“In
our view, Trump has focused the debate on the wrong place — the
character of the people who break our immigration laws,” Beck said.
“Our
view is that most illegal aliens are decent people who mean no harm to
Americans and who view our country’s carelessness about enforcement as
something of an invitation
to break our immigration laws,” he said.
“In
our view, it is counterproductive to focus on the illegal aliens
themselves when the true villains are our elected officials, especially
our last four presidents.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment