"Economic Choices-2008"-Illegal Immigration
Friday, February 01, 2008SUSIE GHARIB: This week we have focused on California, the richest prize in next week's Super Tuesday primary. Democrats and Republicans there will play a pivotal role in this year's presidential election. So as we continue our "Economic Choices" series, Darren Gersh looks at illegal immigration, an issue that's very familiar to California voters.
DARREN GERSH, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Not far from a border checkpoint in Temecula, California, anti-illegal immigration activists are organizing their own checkpoint in cyber-space. Two and a half years ago, Jason Mrochek started off with a web site that takes in tips on employers hiring illegal immigrants. Now, Mrochek has launched sendthetaxman.com.
JASON MROCHEK, CO-FOUNDER, FEDERAL IMMIGRATION REFORM AND ENFORCEMENT: On sendthetaxman.com, anybody can go on there, report a company for fraudulently either hiring somebody, not using the right documents, not paying their taxes. They can also do it for an individual illegal alien who maybe is using fraudulent documents to get employment.
GERSH: California activists like Mrochek helped launch the anti- illegal immigration movement, which put the issue at the top of the agenda in the early presidential primaries. But now that the campaign has come to California, the candidates are finding voters here have a more nuanced view of the problem. Nativo Lopez is president of the Mexican American Political Association. He says the debate is different in California, because the state has been fighting over illegal immigration for so long.
NATIVO LOPEZ, PRESIDENT, MEXICAN AMERICAN POLITICAL ASSOCIATION: California electorate has not become, not developed a tin ear to the drumbeat on undocumented immigration. But they are certainly more experienced on how to receive the message -- whether it is a sincere message, whether it's a virulent, extremist message -- and so therefore, much more politically experienced.
GERSH: There is one obvious difference about the immigration debate in California. Latinos are a rising source of economic and political power here; Democrats are hoping to court them. Republicans are hoping not to alienate them. Polls show California Latinos -- a quarter of the state's electorate -- are clearly not happy with what they have heard from either party so far. David Magana's views are typical.
DAVID MAGANA, LATINO VOTER: People like to bad mouth immigrants, you know or Latinos, Asians or even Africans, you know. I think that maybe we need to stop and look at ourselves. We're all immigrants, if you look at it.
GERSH: Polls show a majority of Latinos now worry a friend or family member could be deported. And the Pew Hispanic Center's Jeffrey Passel says many Latinos believe discrimination is rising.
JEFFREY PASSEL, SR. RESEARCH ASSOC., PEW HISPANIC CENTER: They feel that the immigration issue has not been handled well, though and that the failure to deal with immigration has made life more difficult for Hispanics.
GERSH: Activists like Mrochek are working hard to keep the heat on illegal immigrants and he wants to make sure recession fears don't push the issue off the front page in California.
MROCHEK: If we do a good job of tying a lot of the problems in the economy to illegal immigration, I think it has a chance. And I challenge people all the time name an issue that doesn't revolve in some part around illegal immigration.
GERSH: That argument worries Nativo Lopez. He says history has shown anti-immigrant sentiment rises when the economy falls.
LOPEZ: Not as much in California, but throughout the country, there is no doubt about it that immigrants will be the Willy Horton, the swift boat target in the elections of 2008, as we've seen ugliness creep up in this national discourse in other campaigns.
GERSH: California is a state that prides itself on being out in front. Next Tuesday, voters in the most populous state in the nation will have their chance to lead the way on immigration and the other economic choices of 2008. Darren Gersh, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Los Angeles.
