Navarrette: Harsh immigration rhetoric not helpful to GOP hopefuls

The Republican Party has dug itself an awfully deep hole with Latino voters. And every time a Republican talks about immigration, the hole gets a little deeper.

That includes nearly all the 2012 Republican presidential candidates. They can't avoid talking about the subject because it keeps coming up in the debates. There are three reasons for this: Many Republican voters care about the issue; Gov. Rick Perry's opponents see it as a weakness for a front-runner they would like to portray as soft on illegal immigration; and the media enjoy the sight of Republicans clawing at one another, especially over an issue that makes most of them look dishonest, extreme and out of touch.

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/navarrette-harsh-immigration-rhetoric-not-helpful-to-gop-1877455.html

No Casa Blanca for the GOP

As a Latina however, I find myself scratching my head and wondering whether the GOP candidates even know - or care - there is a powerful and growing Latino voting population in critical swing states that hold the key to any Republican who wants to work in the Oval Office.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-cardona/no-casa-blanca-for-the-gop_b_981530.html

Perry faces immigration hurdles in Iowa

Less than two months into Rick Perry's presidential candidacy, a record on illegal immigration that served him well politically as a border-state governor is proving a tough sell with voters looking toward Iowa's Republican caucuses this winter.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-perry-immigration-20110927,0,2928515.story

EU cerró la ventanilla de las visas tipo U

El gobierno federal estadounidense anunció el lunes que cerró la ventanilla para la recepción de solicitudes de la visa tipo “U”, porque el número de peticiones sobrepasó la cantidad anual autorizada por el Congreso.

La decisión se adoptó por segundo año consecutivo, dijo la Oficina de Ciudadanía y Servicios de Inmigración (USCIS) en un comunicado publicado en su página web.
http://noticias.univision.com/inmigracion/visas/article/2011-09-19/eu-cerro-ventana-visas-u?ftloc=channel1486:wcmWidgetUimStage&ftpos=channel1486:wcmWidgetUimStage:1

Will Tough Talk On Immigration Repel Latino Voters?

Wherever he goes, GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry proudly waves the flag of conservatism, often introducing himself with, "I simply want to get America working again and make Washington, D.C., as inconsequential in your life as I can."

But the Texas governor, a favorite of conservatives overall, is taking criticism for being too moderate when it comes to immigration. The reason: In 2001, his first full year in office, he signed legislation that grants in-state tuition rates at Texas colleges and universities to some illegal immigrants.


http://www.npr.org/2011/09/19/140601828/will-tough-talk-on-immigration-repel-latino-voters

Analysis: Obama deportations raise immigration policy questions

President Barack Obama says he backs immigration reform, announcing last month an initiative to ease deportation policies, but he has sent home over 1 million illegal immigrants in 2-1/2 years -- on pace to deport more in one term than George W. Bush did in two.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/20/us-obama-immigration-idUSTRE78J05720110920

The Border To-Do List:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten years after 9/11 our borders are significantly more secure. Borders are now understood as pivotal to keeping terrorists out. Our country is safer for that recognition.

Many vulnerabilities remain, however, allowing potential terrorists who were already here before 9/11 to stay and others to get here subsequently. To address these weaknesses and achieve the next generation of border security goals, the Center for Immigration Studies has published "The To-Do List: Curtailing Terrorist Travel Ten Years after 9/11" by Janice Kephart, the Center's National Security Policy Director at the Center for Immigration Studies and former border counsel to the 9/11 Commission.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-border-to-do-list-new-report-explores-immigration-improvements-remaining-challenges-ten-years-after-911-129874628.html