02/17/12 | In a hollow effort to distract Latino voters from their Party's poor record on immigration reform in recent years, the Republican National Committee picked fights with Democrats this week over "chimichangas" and perceived insults. First targeting Jim Messina and now going after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the RNC's approach is backfiring, because it's only serving to highlight the reasons why a growing number of Latino voters are turning away from the GOP. | Read More »

02/17/12 | As costs mount, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is asking a federal judge to consolidate legal challenges to the state's "papers, please" immigration law, SB 1070. Brewer's learning the hard way that when you attack the Constitution, civil society stands up to protect it. | Read More »

02/16/12 | Dana Milbank's Washington Post column caused quite a stir on Twitter yesterday. Milbank called the GOP's approach to Latinos a "death wish," because the Party is alienating the fastest-growing group of voters with its anti-immigrant positioning. Jim Messina tweeted that the "line of the day" was Milbank's tongue-in-cheek response to a John McCain statement: "The chimichanga? It may be the only thing Republicans have left to offer Latinos." | Read More »

02/15/12 | In a Washington Post column today, Dana Millbank wonders aloud about the GOP's anti-Latino strategy. Millbank writes, "What else but a death wish could explain the party's treatment of the fastest-growing voting bloc in the nation? First was the wave of Arizona-style immigration laws. Then came the anti-immigrant rhetoric from the GOP presidential candidates. On Tuesday, Senate Republicans roughed up Adalberto Jose Jordan — because, well, just because they could." | Read More »

02/13/12 | The Republican Party's embrace of anti-immigrant extremism was on full display this past weekend in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Among the loudest voices was none other than that of Kris Kobach, who is an endorser and advisor to Romney on immigration issues. Kobach is also the champion of the series of state-based anti-immigration laws in states such as Arizona and Alabama that show the real world consequences, costs, and impracticality of Romney's stated "self-deportation" immigration policy goal. | Read More »

02/09/12 | Earlier this week, Mitt Romney's campaign unveiled the endorsement of former California Governor Pete Wilson (R), champion of California's Proposition 187 in 1994. Proposition 187 was the precursor to the anti-immigration laws passed this decade in Arizona, Alabama, and other states that have inspired nationwide outrage from the Latino community. Wilson's backing of Proposition 187 is widely credited for pushing Latino voters away from the GOP in California and turning what was once a swing state solidly blue. | Read More »

02/09/12 | In Case You Missed It, please see the Huffington Post blog post below by Frank Sharry, Executive Director at America's Voice on Rep. Lamar Smith's incessant anti-immigrant tirades and the continuing calls from Smith's party for "self-deportation." | Read More »

02/08/12 | As the story of sexual abuse at an elementary school in Los Angeles continues to shock the nation, Spanish-language media is reporting another tragic development. Parents of some Miramonte Elementary School children are afraid to go to informational meetings or talk to the police because they worry that contact with the authorities could lead to deportation. | Read More »

02/07/12 | As the Alabama state legislature begins its new legislative session today, the costs and consequences of the state's "papers, please" anti-immigration law is the hottest political topic in the state. In light of the many controversies and unintended consequences related to the law's provisions, including the sticker shock of up to $11 billion the law would cost the state's GDP, changes to the immigration law are likely during the legislative session. | Read More »

02/07/12 | In his apparently endless effort to write off Latino voters, Mitt Romney's campaign today unveiled the endorsement of former California Governor Pete Wilson (R). Wilson's endorsement joins that of Romney immigration advisor and Alabama/Arizona "papers, please" law architect Kris Kobach and leading congressional mass-deportation champion Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) in an illustrious pantheon of anti-immigrant endorsers. | Read More »

02/06/12 | With the Nevada caucus behind them, the GOP presidential candidates now turn to Colorado, where they will compete in the sixth nominating contest so far this year. Despite the fact that immigration is not a big issue for most Republican caucus-goers, as in years past, the issue will have clear salience in November as Latino voters size up the candidates and their positions on the issues that matter. | Read More »

02/03/12 | For the next few days, Nevada will be the center of the political universe. But, like the ad says, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. What happens in February simply won't matter much in November. That's when the state turns into a battleground. And, if the past two election cycles and results of the 2010 Census are any guide, the Latino vote and the issue of immigration reform will once again prove decisive in the 2012 general election—not only in the Presidential race, but key House and Senate contests as well. | Read More »

02/02/12 | Ever since Mitt Romney issued his support for "self-deportation," a policy also known as "attrition through enforcement," voices from around the country have responded by highlighting just how unworkable and extreme a policy like this would be. Among the reactions: Rachel Maddow points out that while Romney's policy seems like a joke, it just isn't funny, national editorial boards underscore the policy's impracticality, and a New York Times op-ed by an American high school student highlights the painful toll "self-deportation" can have on immigrant families. | Read More »

02/02/12 | Ever since Mitt Romney issued his support for "self-deportation," a policy also known as "attrition through enforcement," voices from around the country have responded by highlighting just how unworkable and extreme a policy like this would be. Among the reactions: Rachel Maddow points out that while Romney's policy seems like a joke, it just isn't funny, national editorial boards underscore the policy's impracticality, and a New York Times op-ed by an American high school student highlights the painful toll "self-deportation" can have on immigrant families. | Read More »

02/02/12 | Mitt Romney has made "self-deportation" the cornerstone of his immigration policy approach. Romney's immigration plan is ripped straight from the playbook of the anti-immigrant movement, especially Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is an unpaid Romney advisor on immigration matters. Kobach is the architect of a series of state-based laws in Alabama, Arizona, and elsewhere based on the "principle" of "self-deportation." Now, a new cost-benefit analysis of Alabama's "papers, please" anti-immigration law demonstrates the devastating economic toll incurred by the Romney/Kobach approach. | Read More »

02/02/12 | Mitt Romney has made "self-deportation" the cornerstone of his immigration policy approach. Romney's immigration plan is ripped straight from the playbook of the anti-immigrant movement, especially Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is an unpaid Romney advisor on immigration matters. Kobach is the architect of a series of state-based laws in Alabama, Arizona, and elsewhere based on the "principle" of "self-deportation." Now, a new cost-benefit analysis of Alabama's "papers, please" anti-immigration law demonstrates the devastating economic toll incurred by the Romney/Kobach approach. | Read More »

02/01/12 | With Mitt Romney's resounding victory in Florida's Republican primary yesterday, bolstered by 54% support from Latino voters, it is important to put Romney's victory in context. What does it mean for the general election competition for the Latino vote, in Florida and beyond? Below are 10 numbers that provide that context... | Read More »

01/30/12 | Mitt Romney is poised to win the Florida Republican primary and polls suggest he will win with virtually all key demographic groups – including Hispanics. But given Romney's controversial calls for "self-deportation," his promise in Iowa to veto the DREAM Act, and his embrace of Arizona and Alabama immigration law author Kris Kobach in South Carolina, how can this be? | Read More »