Immigration Q&A With Doris Meissner

Former Clinton Administration Immigration and Naturalization Services commissioner Doris Meissner is now a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Migration Policy Institute. In an interview for this past Monday’s newsletter, Meissner spoke openly about her disappointment with some of the presidential candidates and about what has to be done on the immigration issue. Below is an excerpt of the interview:
Are you surprised by what the candidates are saying about immigration?

I think what I am really sorry about is that the candidates are doing such a poor job of really explaining what some of the choices are that we need to make as a society.

It is particularly regrettable with people like Rudy Giuliani who know this issue very well and who have been in their own political careers in many ways quite progressive on the issue but he is now completely walked away from it. Senator McCain, I think he is being very honest. He is saying ‘I’ve really provided leadership on this issue and I got really pushed down and I got badly defeated, and so I recognize that people are angry and there is going to have to be more enforcement done before we can come back to the bill, to a real solution, but I still believe in the broader solutions that I advocated.’ I mean, that’s being honest, people like Giuliani are not being honest at all.

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NYT Analysis of Presidential Campaign Ads

This item is from our Daily Update, which you can read in its entirety here.

Ad Watch

The New York Times today published an analysis of terms that appear frequently in campaign advertising by the various presidential candidates. A review of that data shows frequent mentions of immigration and related terms by four Republican candidates. In contrast, Congressman Ron Paul, Senator John McCain and all of the Democratic candidates made few, if any, mentions of the topic in their advertising, according to the same data.

Giuliani
Total number of ads - 2,676
Total mentions of the word “English” - 1,368
Total mentions of the word “Immigration” - 912

Huckabee
Total number of ads - 1985
Total mentions of the word “Amnesty” - 426
Total mentions of the word “Border - 1065

Romney
Total number of ads - 24, 189
Total mentions of the word “Borders” - 3,654
Total mentions of the word “Illegal” - 12,169
Total mentions of the word “Immigration” - 11,871

Thompson
Total Ads - 1,964
Total mentions of the word “Amnesty” - 636
Total mentions of the word “Borders” - 1,068
Total mentions of the word “Illegal” - 636
Total mentions of the word “Immigration” - 636

Op Ed by Mickey Ibarra

Immigration: The New Gay Marriage/Willie Horton/Welfare Queen
By Mickey Ibarra

Each presidential election cycle, an issue seems to come along that turns reasoned politicians into chest thumping demagogues. In 2004, the issue was gay marriage; this election season that issue will undoubtedly be immigration reform. Last June, a bipartisan compromise bill was crafted that focused on enhanced enforcement and earned legalization. A reasonable approach that would have quieted a growing national debate, the legislation fell victim to presidential politics as the Republican candidates trumped each other in their zest to crack down on illegal immigrants.

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Clinton Campaign Response to GOP Video

The following is the response to the GOP video from Fabiola Rodriguez-Ciampoli, director of Hispanic Communications for Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign:

“Our campaign feels Immigration is an important issue because of the inability of the Bush Administration to protect our borders, enforce our current immigration laws and find humane and reasonable solutions to address the reality that there are 12 million undocumented immigrants in our country. Rather than finding real solutions, Republicans are trying to use this to divide voters and distract the attention over their failure to find a solution and address the reality. Hillary Clinton has been a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, that respects our immigrant heritage and honors the rule of law.”

E.J. Dionne on Immigration

Prominent Washington Post columnist and author E.J. Dionne writes today, “Immigration is the issue Democrats fear because it could leave them with a set of no-win political choices.”

Dionne goes on to say:

“The issue is especially problematic because efforts to appease voters upset about immigration — including a share of the African-American community — threaten to undercut the Democrats’ large and growing advantage among Latino voters. For Republicans, the issue is both a way of changing the political subject from Iraq, the economy and the failures of the Bush presidency, and a means for sowing discord in the Democratic coalition.”

Dionne also extensively quotes Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel:

“The debate to date has been a debate about corporate interests, ag (agriculture), the tourist industry and advocates of immigrants,” he said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “This is a debate in which the rest of America is left out.

“This is a values issue: How does a superpower not have control over its border? You have to enforce the rule of law as it relates to the border and you have to enforce the rule of law as it relates to benefits. Then the American people will be open to resolving the issue as it relates to what industry needs and what immigrant advocates need.”

Emanuel’s earlier comments to the Post about immigration being the “third rail of American politics” already drew the wrath of progressive political bloggers. His comments today will do nothing to appease them.

Clinton-Dodd Exchange on Immigration and Driver’s Licenses

In last night’s debate, NBC anchor Tim Russert asked Senator Hillary Clinton, “Why does it make a lot of sense to give an illegal immigrant a driver’s license?” To which, the Senator responded:

“CLINTON: Well, what Governor Spitzer is trying to do is fill the vacuum left by the failure of this administration to bring about comprehensive immigration reform. We know in New York we have several million at any one time who are in New York illegally. They are undocumented workers. They are driving on our roads. The possibility of them having an accident that harms themselves or others is just a matter of the odds. It’s probability.

“… I believe we need to get back to comprehensive immigration reform because no state, no matter how well intentioned, can fill this gap. There needs to be federal action on immigration reform.”

Senator Chris Dodd then argued against issuing driver’s licenses to those entered the country illegally:

“DODD: This is a privilege. And, look, I’m as forthright and progressive on immigration policy as anyone here. But we’re dealing with a serious problem here, we need to have people come forward. The idea that we’re going to extend this privilege here of a driver’s license I think is troublesome, and I think the American people are reacting to it.

“We need to deal with security on our borders. We need to deal with the attraction that draws people here. We need to deal fairly with those who are here.

“But this is a privilege. Talk about health care, I have a different opinion. That affects the public health of all of us.

“But a license is a privilege, and that ought not to be extended, in my view.”

And then Senators Clinton and Dodd got into the following exchange:

“CLINTON: Well, I just want to add, I did not say that it should be done, but I certainly recognize why Governor Spitzer is trying to do…

“(UNKNOWN): Wait a minute…

“CLINTON: And we have failed. We have failed.

“DODD: No, no, no. You said — you said yes…

“CLINTON: No.

“DODD: … you thought it made sense to do it.

“CLINTON: No, I didn’t, Chris. But the point is, what are we going to do with all these illegal immigrants who are driving…”

Tim Russert then pressed Senator Clinton to answer whether she supports the Spitzer proposal

“CLINTON: You know, Tim, this is where everybody plays “gotcha.” It makes a lot of sense. What is the governor supposed to do? He is dealing with a serious problems. We have failed. And George Bush has failed. Do I think this is the best thing for any governor to do? No. But do I understand the sense of real desperation, trying to get a handle on this? Remember, in New York, we want to know who’s in New York. We want people to come out of the shadows.

“He’s making an honest effort to do it. We should have passed immigration reform.”

Edwards and Obama then proceeded to attack Clinton for trying to have it both ways.

The whole exchange lent weight to Rahm Emanuel’s description of immigration “as the third rail of American politics.“