Immigration Reform

After the 2012 Presidential election, where Republicans got walloped by the Latino vote, one might think they would re-think their position when it comes to immigration reform.  After all, it was Ronald Reagan who, in 1986, signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which legalized close to 3 million undocumented immigrants.  In the past, other Republicans including John McCain and George W. Bush supported immigration reform beyond building walls at the borders.  The reality is that Latinos are religious, morally conservative, tend to disproportionally join the military, and tend to be hard-working and entrepreneurial.  All of these are characteristics that Republicans like to use when describing themselves.  So, why did they vote in such numbers for a Democrat. And, why can’t Republicans entice more Latinos over to their party.  Here’s another thought for Republicans.  First, immigrants tend to be poor when they first enter the United States.  Second, Republican fiscal policies tend to favor taxing the poor rather than the rich.  If Republicans can write, sponsor, and enact immigration reform there is not only a chance of shifting the votes of Latinos and other immigrants from Democrats to Republican candidates but, more importantly, there will be more poor people to tax to offset the tax cuts Republicans love to give to the rich.