CAMPAIGN 2000

The American Muslim Political Coordination Council, a recently formed advocacy group, has endorsed George W. Bush for president, citing his promises to address American Muslims’ concerns if elected.  Another factor in their decision was Bush’s comments during the second debate that secret evidence should not be used in immigration proceedings.

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During the final two weeks before the election, as immigration issues continue to keep Congress in session, neither major presidential candidate is saying much where immigration is concerned.  Pat Buchanan, the Reform Party candidate, has made immigration a pillar of his campaign, calling for greatly reduced annual immigration and much stricter border control.  The other “major” minor party candidate, consumer activist Ralph Nader, did not spend much time on immigration in the past, but lately as his campaign has passed through California and Texas he has made some statements on the issue.

Nader appeared to call for a fundamental overhaul to US immigration laws, saying that “the first stage of our immigration policy is to stop supporting oligarchs, dictatorships and authoritarian regimes that drive people to leave their native lands out of economic desperation or political repression” during a speech in Fresno.  He also criticized the growing dependence of US high-tech firms on H-1B workers, not only because he feels the firms are not aggressively recruiting US workers, but also because it creates a brain drain in countries were high-tech skills are in desperate need. 

He indicated that he would change immigration laws to provide more protection to low end immigrant workers, including providing full labor protections to all workers, documented or otherwise.  He would “decriminalize” the border, but is opposed to the idea of opening the border between the US and Mexico, a move he says would depress US wages in every sector.

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