Will Gillibrand Have Sense to Change Her Brand on Immigration?

America's Voice Blog

Posted 01/26/09 at 06:25pm

Last week I sent some advice to Senator-designate Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY): it's time to change course on immigration. She will now be representing New York State, after all, and she may want to get re-elected.

Let's back up.

As a member of the House of Representatives, Gillibrand supported extreme policy proposals aimed at driving immigrant workers and their families further underground. The plan, ironically called the "SAVE Act," offered no practical solutions to dealing with the presence of some 12 million immigrant workers without papers in the United States. It was fully embraced by none other the Tom Tancredo, the Republican Congressman who formerly headed the extremist House Immigration Reform Committee, and Heath Shuler, the North Carolina Democrat who evidently is as adept on the Congressional playing field as he was as the Redskins quarterback.

Unsurprisingly, groups across New York State have been quick to disapprove of her appointment. According to the New York Immigration Coalition, Gillibrand need only check the numbers to shift away from her hard-line immigration stance:

Representative Gillibrand will move from representing the 20th Congressional District to representing, in its entirety, one of the most diverse states in the nation, where more than one in five residents is an immigrant.

According to Saturday's New York Daily News' piece called, "Gillibrand's Latino Problem":

Incoming Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's photo and the blaring headline "ANTI INMIGRANTE" grace the cover of today's El Diario - just one more example of the hurdles facing the upstate Democrat as she tries over the next 19 months to win over downstate voters in advance of the 2010 primary challenge she is almost certain to face.

It's not just the papers flouncing Gillibrand for her record. Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera also described Gillibrand's immigration stance as "borders on xenophobia."

Well, rumor is that Gillibrand is edging away from her previous stance. Hate groups like FAIR and their cheerleaders in the blogosphere are already up in arms over this comment by Rep. Meeks (D-NY):

"She told us that the only topic of immigration in his district had to do with agriculture. She now understands that the issue of immigration is much larger and wants to learn more about it."

And, to do that, she'll also be meeting with Rep. Nydia Velazquez, chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

While learning more about an issue may be treason to the anti-solutions crowd, I'm not sending Gillibrand any Valentine's Day cards just yet.

Those of us who see the urgent need for immigration reform look forward to hearing what Gillibrand has learned from Representative Velazquez. We will be waiting to see if she does, indeed, switch her brand and lean into comprehensive solutions on this crucial issue to Latino and swing voters.

By Frank Sharry
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Those of us who see the urgent need for immigration reform look forward to hearing what Gillibrand has learned from Representative Velazquez.

Mate I totally agree with you, we have to do some reforms, because it is not good in the way it is now.

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