TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Immigration Key In Spanish TV Debate

ADVERTISEMENT

By PETER WHORISKEY, The Washington Post

Published: December 10, 2007

CORAL GABLES - Contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, who have taken a tough stance on immigration issues affecting many Hispanics, were called upon Sunday night to defend their positions in front of viewers of the nation's largest Spanish-language television network.

The first Republican presidential forum to be conducted in Spanish took place at a time when opinion polls are showing Hispanic voters moving away from the party. Some observers have blamed anti-Hispanic rhetoric within the GOP, especially comments regarding illegal immigration, for the disaffection.

The first half of the 90-minute forum, broadcast on Univision and held at the University of Miami, focused on immigration-related issues - whether English should be the official language, whether illegal immigrants should be offered a path to citizenship, and what each candidate might do to calm anti-Hispanic fervor.

The candidates sought to emphasize their enthusiasm for legal immigration as a source of the nation's vitality, even as they underscored their strong stances against illegal immigration.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee cited such immigration as fanning the flames of anti-Hispanic bias. Huckabee said, "Quite frankly, when we fix the situation and make the border secure and people are here legally, a lot of the sentiment goes away."

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who this month fired his landscaping company because it had hired undocumented workers, side-stepped a question about whether he reported the violation to immigration.

Throughout the forum, the candidates repeatedly affirmed their respect for the role of Hispanics in society and highlighted their affiliations, if any, with them.

"We will be enriched by their music, their culture, their food. Hispanics will love this country and defend it," Sen. John McCain of Arizona said in answer to a question about the future of Hispanics in the nation.

As a group, the candidates characterized Hispanic voters as natural constituents of the Republican Party.

"Hispanic Americans serve in the military. We salute them. Hispanic Americans are family-oriented and people of faith," Romney said.

Hispanic voters "know that marriage is between a man and a woman," Thompson said.

In the Republican field, McCain stands alone for his support of controversial immigration legislation that would have given illegal workers a pathway to legal residency. The proposal has been derided by other candidates as "amnesty."

"We have to address this issue with compassion and love, because these are human beings," McCain said. "Of course, there can't be amnesty."

Noting the role of Hispanic soldiers in Vietnam and Iraq, McCain said, "Some of their parents came here illegally."

Also taking part in Sunday's forum were former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado skipped the debate.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT