GOP Candidates Attack Each Other on Immigration

The issue of illegal immigration has roiled the race for the Republican nomination as candidates accuse each other of pandering for votes or, alternatively, offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. Iowa Independent talked with several spokesmen for the GOP campaigns, and though some remained above the fray, others let loose on their opponents.

Sen. John McCain, who supports the proposed Senate immigration plan, delivered a major speech Monday calling on those who oppose the plan to offer an alternative or keep quiet:

"I make one pledge to you that I will keep, no matter what," he said. "I will never conduct my campaign in such a way that it makes our country's most difficult challenges harder to solve. I hope you will hold all candidates to that same standard. Pandering for votes on this issue, while offering no solution to the problem, amounts to doing nothing. And doing nothing is silent amnesty."

The New York Times reported that McCain’s speech was directed at former Gov. Mitt Romney and represented “a sharp escalation in the war of words” between the two.

Romney responded soon after, saying his stance came from principles, not politics:

"The immigration approach proposed by Senators McCain and Kennedy falls short of a workable solution to an important problem. I respect Senator McCain, but my opposition to his bill is a matter of principled disagreement about policies and priorities related to enforcement of our immigration laws."

But only a year and a half ago, Romney told the Boston Globe that the previous McCain-Kennedy bill was “quite different” from amnesty and that McCain’s and President Bush’s efforts were “reasonable proposals.”

Spokesmen for McCain’s and Romney’s Iowa campaigns both declined to discuss other candidates or the pandering accusation, but they did say by phone that their candidates were reaching out to Iowans on the issue.

“Sen. McCain has been aggressively advocating for his stance here in Iowa on the radio and in town hall meetings,” said Tim Miller, Iowa spokesman for McCain. “He’s happy about the way the conversation is going and hopes that Iowans will go along with his approach, which is to find a solution for this important issue.”

"I’ve been on the trail with the governor. . . and the one thing that we hear over and over from Iowans is that they do not favor any type of amnesty for illegal residents,” said Tim Albrecht, Iowa spokesman for Romney. “Governor Romney’s position is in agreement with many of those folks.”

Not everyone was so polite. Congressman Tom Tancredo has enthusiastically made illegal immigration the centerpiece of his ’08 campaign, and his Iowa chairman, Bill Salier, was equally energetic. “Of course” Romney is pandering, Salier said by phone. “This is just another time that Romney has flip-flopped now that he’s running for president … It’s reminiscent of John Kerry. What is it with Massachusetts?”

Salier said that Tancredo was a leader on the issue and that he would be rewarded by Iowa caucus-goers. “He is a true believer in freedom and liberty and the constitution and the enforcement of our laws,” he said, addingthat voters find that “very refreshing.”

Salier said McCain’s immigration policy would not be well received in Iowa. “There will be no amnesty for John McCain on Election Day,” he said.