Immigration Policy Divides GOP Ranks

Immigration policy continues to be a thorny issue for Republicans hoping to project unity this week, says Valeria Fernández, a correspondent from the journalism project Feet in 2 Worlds.

Fernández is at the GOP Convention in Tampa, Florida.

She says Republicans there are adopting the tough-on-immigration platform of the state of Arizona, while at the same time advocating a guest worker program that addresses the needs of business owners.

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Marco Werman: The Republican National Convention was called into session today in Tampa, but with Tropical Storm Isaac still in the neighborhood, the gavel came back down just minutes later. Now organizers will cram four days worth of action, including Mitt Romney’s official nomination for President, into three days. One item on the agenda is a new GOP platform on immigration. Valeria Fernandez of the Feet in Two Worlds’ immigrant journalism project is in Tampa to follow that debate.

Valeria Fernandez: The Republican party is adopting basically Arizona’s platform as a model, which they want to take to the rest of the country, so basically what they want to do is, the so-called self-deportation of the people that are illegally here in the United States, and implement programs such as [inaudible] which is a database that we have in Arizona in a mandatory way to make sure that the people that are employed are working here illegally, and the other thing that they are including that was interesting is some sort of a guest worker program, and I believe that’s mostly to appeal to the business sector of the Republican party that’s been talking for a long time about the need for these workers.

Werman: Does Mitt Romney support a guess worker program?

Fernandez: Romney hasn’t talked much about immigration recently. During the primaries, he has really said that he supported self-deportation, that he would lean the Dream Act if it came to his desk, and recently he has taken a much softer stance because he wants to appeal to the conservative Hispanic vote, and we haven’t heard much and certainly he said recently that he would support the Dream Act if that involved for these young kids to get enrolled in the military.

Werman: Well, it’s interesting. I mean as you said, during the primaries, Romney took a pretty hardcore go and self-deport yourself stance. Immigration is such a potent issue. Maybe the GOP has just decided to keep their head down about it.

Fernandez: Well, you know, you have different opinions within the GOP. You know, you have people like Mark Arubbio that wants some form of a Dream Act, and then have people like Kris Kobach, who is a close advisor to Romney and is very involved with the Republican platform, and he is calling for deportation. I’ve been talking to Latino Republicans that live here in Florida and Tampa. They are of the idea that Romney right now needs to stay sort of on the conservative side of issues to appeal to those voters, but they don’t believe that he will take a harsh anti-immigrant stance if he’s elected President.

Werman: Being in Tampa, I’m wondering if you can share with us any experiences you’ve had with local Latino Republicans, some of whom have experienced what it’s like to have family members in immigration detention, but what have they told you?

Fernandez: Well, I had a chance to speak with Carlos Accunia [SP?] who’s wife was detained in the detention center here in Florida for about two months. This is an immigrant from Peru. He’s a [inaudible]. Immigration wasn’t something in the forefront of his mind, but ever since his wife was detained and he was arrested, he still faced the possibility of deportation. Things changed for him. Accunia says that he can’t trust President Obama. He has a great disappointment with the promises that he made about passing some form of immigration reform during his first term. He’s going to vote for Romney. I also talked to some of the delegates coming from Arizona. It’s not black and white. Some of them are supporting measures similar to the Dream Act while they want enforcement.

Werman: Another point of view is making it’s way to Tampa and the Republican Convention, and that some Latino protestors are heading there in particular, one group from Arizona. What can you tell us about them?

Fernandez: Well, the Latino Freedom Riders, this is a group led by women voters and they really want to appeal to the sensitivity of other women with immigration issues by really challenging these platforms for self-deportation that the Republican party is putting forth, and also talking about the reality of these young kids that call themselves Dreamers. I understand that a family member of Joaquin Luna, this is a young man, 18 years old, that committed suicide, he was here illegally in the country, is going to be joining the caravan. They believe that Joaquin’s story really exemplifies the struggles and really the psychological toll that being in the country without papers takes on these young kids that are pretty much raised in the United States, and when they try to go to school or seek better opportunities, that doors are shutting down, as well as protests by Maricopa County Sheriff [inaudible] who’s going to be here on Thursday speaking with some delegates from Arizona and other states.

Werman: Correspondent Valeria Fernandez with Feet in Two Worlds, the immigrant journalism project of the Center for New York City Affairs at the new school. Thanks very much for speaking with us.

Fernandez: Thank you very much for having me.

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