GOP Latino Outreach Skirts Immigration, Focuses on Education, Economy and Healthcare
The Republican Party has spent $10 million to gain the interest of the Hispanic population, inundating the public with Spanish-language advertisements that aim to incite opposition to the nation's Affordable Care Act, unseat Democrats, and ensure that a member of the GOP sits in the Oval Office after the next election. The conservative push to disparage Obama over the ACA and immigration overshadows the GOP's efforts to assist the Hispanic community -- and exposes presidential and a desire to shake immigration as a topic.
Conservative actions, such as the House Judiciary Committee voting to eliminate the public advocates for immigrants who face hearings at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or House Republicans' support of a bill called the Enforce Act, which would limit President Obama's use of "prosecutorial discretion," are not immigrant-friendly, yet GOP aides have reiterated that these are not anti-immigrant measures. Instead, these are apparently efforts to rein in Obama's executive overreach.
Republicans have honed in on Latino groups' timely dissatisfaction with President Obama concerning deportation, and recognized it as an opportunity for them to build bridges with the Hispanic community in order to nab the 2016 presidential election. This, in fact, is why immigration is being tabled; the hold-off was confirmed by House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
Last Thursday morning, Boehner was confronted by immigration activists while he ate at a Capitol Hill diner, where activists raged about the House's acceptance of the Enforce Act, a bill that is designed to obligate the Obama administration to enforce all laws, including those regarding immigration, marriage, welfare and Obamacare -- a measure that would limit Obama's ability to curb deportation, as he once did with the "Dreamers" in 2012.
"Speaker Boehner, I just want to ask you why you want to break the dream of the Dreamers, of the students?" one woman said.
Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) activists recorded the interaction on camera, and they recorded Boehner say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's not very nice." Boehner refused to comment beyond that statement, having been ambushed for the second time in two months by the immigrant activist organization.
"We think it's in their self-interest to take action -- not out of the goodness of their hearts but because there's a political imperative," said Kica Matos, a FIRM spokeswoman.
Later that day, Boehner made a statement regarding immigration during a news conference, saying that it "ought to be dealt with." However, Boehner didn't offer a strategy or a timetable for advancing reform. In fact, last month Boehner stated that the House would not further legislation until Obama and his administration had gained the trust of the GOP.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus contracted a report following Obama's success over Mitt Romney that concluded that the Republican party required the support of Latinos and other minority groups if they intended to gain success. The RNC subsequently launched "Hispanic engagement field teams" in several states -- and deployed 20 staff members to make contact, reaching 27,000 Latinos. RNC members have even begun to attend cultural events to do better outreach.
The GOP has focused great labors toward profiting off of the Affordable Care Act's problematic rollout. The RNC made a point of highlighting issues encountered on the website and the cost of signing up for plans in the Spanish-language market.
The RNC's involvement has encouraged uncertainty about the Affordable Care Act among Hispanics; though Latinos generally held a more positive opinion of the than law than other groups. 46 percent of Hispanics viewed Obamacare favorably, 29 percent were not in favor, and 26 percent had no opinion. Any good observed by the health-care site has been undone by Republican interaction and issues regarding deportation.
GOP Gov. Chris Christie's reelection, secured by winning 51 percent of the Hispanic, and Republican David Jolly's victory in a special congressional election in Florida prove that immigration concerns has not hurt the GOP. The U.S. treasurer under George W. Bush suggested that education, the economy and health care are more important than immigration to Latinos.
Many GOP members are hard-set on connecting with Hispanics, while remaining disconnected from immigration reform. Certain Republican activists believe that the party's decision to hold off on the topic of reform will prolong the party's damaged relationship with the community. Yet, congressional Republicans abstain and drag their feet, hoping to meet the other needs of the group... while leaving immigration to drift.
Seventy percent of the Hispanic population stated that they felt that it is extremely or very important to pass immigration legislation in a February Pew Research Center survey. Nine in 10 said that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S. legally.