GOP Platform Debate Shows Immigration Rift

by Juliana Gruenwald

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008


MINNEAPOLIS -- While Republican Party delegates today sought to defuse disagreements on hot-button issues with a draft platform aligned with the party's conservative principles, they could not avoid disagreements over such issues as immigration and abortion.

On the first day of the party's platform committee meeting here, delegates met in subcommittees to hammer out GOP principles on such issues as national security, immigration, energy, education and health care.

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., a platform committee co-chairman, said delegates have cut the size of the platform from the 2004 document with the hope that more people would read it and realize "they align more with Republicans than Democrats."

The draft favors increased enforcement of immigration laws over finding ways to let illegal workers become legal. It calls for "smarter enforcement at the workplace against workers and lawbreaking employers alike."

The draft flatly states that the GOP opposes amnesty, and delegates on the national security and immigration subcommittee debated amendments to make the immigration language even stronger.

Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh unsuccessfully offered an amendment to change the language to say, "We oppose amnesty or any kind of comprehensive immigration reform." Subcommittee members rejected her amendment and an effort to modify it.

She said her amendment was aimed at addressing those who have attempted to use immigration reform proposals as a means of providing amnesty to illegal immigrants.

"In my state, the words 'comprehensive immigration reform' are equivalent to amnesty," said North Carolina delegate Mary Summa.

The proposal appeared to run counter to an immigration reform plan pushed this Congress by the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, who has since said he would pursue border security first.

Several delegates said the language would close the door to future efforts to address illegal immigration. Illinois delegate Richard Williamson noted that including the proposed language "is an insult" to primary voters who overwhelmingly favored McCain.

But the panel did approve language calling for denial of federal funds to "sanctuary cities" that do not actively enforce immigration laws. In addition, the panel adopted an amendment calling for denying illegal immigrants Social Security benefits and "other public benefits" except those called for by federal law. The draft already called for denial of driver's licenses and in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants.

There was significant debate over whether to also include "non-emergency medical care." District of Columbia delegate Bud McFarlane said: "I think we portray ourselves as something we are not. We are not intolerant. We are not xenophobic."

But Unruh argued that language calling for upholding the "rule of law" is neither racist nor xenophobic.

Meanwhile, delegates debating "crime and values" issues removed language that called for those "across the political aisle or within our party" to work together to reduce abortions and "assist, not penalize, women struggling with the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy."

Ann Stone of Republicans for Choice blasted the move, saying it does little to actually reduce the number of abortions. The language was replaced with modified language, which was not available at publication time.

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