The Ventura County Star reported last week that neither presidential candidate will propose immigration reform until after the election because any stance on this controversial issue could potentially alienate voters.  During the beginning of his term, President Bush attempted to introduce an amnesty for undocumented workers and a temporary program where “guest” workers could remain in the U.S. for up to six years.  Staunch conservatives denounced the legalization initiative, and instead proposed a law requiring local and state police to enforce immigration laws.  Law enforcement agents vehemently opposed this idea because they believed it would deter immigrants from reporting accidents and crimes. 

Democrats feared the guest worker program would exploit cheap foreign labor while simultaneously relegating U.S. citizens to prolonged unemployment.  In order to retain the 60 percent Latino vote that the Democrats typically attract, they proposed a legalization of undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least five years.  They would also decrease the 175,000 annual H1-B and H1-V employment visas that enable foreign workers to fill jobs that lack qualified American applicants.  Although both Bush and Kerry may be able to skirt immigration policy during their campaigns, the future president will have to confront bipartisan concerns surrounding immigration’s impact on national security, labor and employment, and the allocation of public resources.

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According to the Los Angeles Times last week, the controversy over a series of immigration sweeps in early June by Border Patrol agents has brought the illegal immigration issue to the forefront in an upcoming November election.

Rep. Joe Baca (D-San Bernardino), a steadfast Latino rights advocate, is running for reelection for the 43^rd Congressional District seat.  His protest of the sweeps has drawn criticism from his supporters, which include a Southern California Border Patrol union.

Baca declared the sweeps illegal and accused the Border Patrol of overstepping their authority and using racial profiling.  Baca discussed the events with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) undersecretary Asa Hutchinson, who confirmed that the immigration sweeps were a violation of agency policy, and DHS must approve any future action far from the border.

The debate over this issue has brought support to Baca’s Republican challenger, Ed Laning.   Political novice Laning is an adamant supporter of the Border Patrol operations.  Laning reports that at least $1,000 of his campaign contributions has come from this dispute.  Baca is still considered the favorite, but the race has changed from an easy win for him into a contest focused on the topic of illegal immigration.

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The Los Angeles Times reported that a local talk radio show is putting pressure on local Republican politicians to take a firmer stance against immigration.  The Ken & John Show of KFI is interviewing local Congressional representatives and imploring them to pass legislation to significantly tighten border security.  In response to listeners’ discontent, the show has set up a poll to select the Republican who should be voted out of office for not taking action to stop undocumented immigration.