Dear Readers:

Those who read this newsletter on a regular basis know that while we clearly support that proposition that immigration is good for America, we rarely address the question of which political party is better on immigration issues. That’s largely because one’s party identification has not normally been a reliable indicator of one’s position on immigration. Libertarian-leaning Republicans have aligned with pro-business and diversity-minded Democrats. Right wing and protectionist Republicans often line up with anti-globalization, pro-union Democrats to oppose immigration. And there are many other permutations that skew one’s views on immigration. The point is that is simplistic to say that one party is pro-immigration or anti-immigration.

And it gets more complicated. One may be quite progressive on legal immigration questions and happy to vote for raising family immigration quotas or more H-1B visas while casting a vote limiting due process rights for immigrants in removal hearings and opposing measures to make it possible for out of status individuals to legalize.

Still, it is clear that the party that seems to be more conflicted these days on immigration is the Republican Party. President Bush will have a much easier time getting Democrats to support his pro-immigration agenda than members of his own party. Given that he is determined to push through his plan during his second term as President, the battle could get ugly. To date, the President has not had to face a rebellion. In the first term, he basically ceded the debate to Congress on immigration and rarely confronted the legislative branch on this issue. Where he did take an active role dealing with immigration, it was mainly related to adding security measures to the system where he met little resistance from either party.

If the recent Conservative Political Action Conference provides a clue as to what most Republicans are thinking on immigration issues, the President can expect a great deal of hostility from his own backbenchers. The conference is a major event and this year featured speakers like Vice President Cheney, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and conservative author Ann Coulter. Immigration came up in many of the talks and the clear message from the conference was that while the President is trying to move his party in a more pro-immigration direction, he is encountering substantial resistance.

This week we report on the CPAC conference as well as the rest of the week’s news.

*****

Finally, as always, we remind readers that we're lawyers who make our living representing immigration clients and employers seeking to comply with immigration laws. We would love to discuss becoming your law firm. Just go to http://www.visalaw.com/intake.html to request an appointment or call us at 800-748-3819 or 901-682-6455.

Regards,

Greg Siskind