There has been some comment that the Republicans can use the immigration issue as a lever to retain their majority in the house. They might want to become familiar with how this sort of thing worked in California. A very large portion of the illegals here have been here for more than 15 years, and by hook or by crook, THEY VOTE. After the Republican supported "Save our State" inititive passed, California went from a redish blue state to a solid deep blue one. One of the reasons that Bush got elected was his catering to the hispanic vote. If the Republicans naively try to change the situation with ham handed immigration law, they will quickly become the minority party in congress and quite possibly the Presidency.

It will be interesting to watch the debate this week in Washington. Here is a good article from the CS Monitor, Paradoxes of immigration hit US Senate.

Senator Alexanders comments on the issue from last weeks Luncheon Lecture (see Podcast)are significant as well.
In my area we have seen a surge in both the Latino and Middle Eastern immigrant population. Many of these immigrants are hard working and gainfully employed (many doing the work that "natives" find distasteful and beneath them). "One of the reasons that Bush got elected was his catering to the hispanic vote." -I disagree that there is a Tamanyesque manipulation. Wouldn’t many of these immigrants (legal and illegal) tend to come from a more conservative background anyway?

The mob scene in Los Angeles this weekend was hardly the work of conservative people. Even if we shut our eyes to the illegality of many of the "immigrants," which we shouldn’t, we should not ignore the behavior and attitudes of many illegals. The fact that there is some residual Catholic piety doesn’t make them conservatives.