The Washington Post has an interesting profile piece this week on two of the men who've helped push the Republican Party so far to the right on immigration policy. Of particular interest, though, was a tidbit about one of their motivations.
One, Kris Kobach, was a telegenic law professor who was worried about foreign terrorists. The other, Michael Hethmon, was a bookish lawyer afraid that immigrants would overburden the environment.
Over the past six years, the two have become the most successful propagators of a powerful idea: that state and local governments can make life so miserable for illegal immigrants that they would choose to deport themselves.... Kobach and Hethmon have helped six states and at least seven cities and counties write tough legislation that allows local police or bureaucrats to crack down on illegal immigrants.
This is pretty standard fare, until Hethmon notes his concerns about the culture.
Immigration is "on track to change the demographic makeup of the entire country. You know, what they call 'minority-majority,' " said Hethmon, who is general counsel at the Washington-based Immigration Reform Law Institute. "How many countries have gone through a transition like that -- peacefully, carefully? It's theoretically possible, but we don't have any examples."
This strikes me as a rather remarkable thing to say, though Hethmon obviously disagrees or he wouldn't have been so candid with a reporter for a national news outlet.
But the quote itself deserves more attention. As Hethmon sees it, he's motivated, at least in part, by concerns about a transition from a white U.S. majority, which he fears may not be "peaceful." In other words, he's working on anti-immigrant measures for Republican policymakers nationwide to prevent whites from slipping into the American minority.
Remember, Hethmon isn't some random figure -- he's worked with Kris Kobach, who isn't just Kansas's secretary of state, he's also advising Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on immigration policy.
Is the Republican Party on board with Hethmon's perspective? Are GOP officials willing to admit it out loud?
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And yet the media will devote 1/1000th the attention to exploring the politics of these men linked to the Romney campaign that it gave to Hillary Rosen, the New Black Panther idiots and Bill Ayers.
I believe that there is a valid question of whether it makes sense to recruit state and local LE in the enforcement of immigration laws. Act of Valor tries to give us a plausible scenario of the transnational security threat the SEALS think they're up against. Unfortunately, the racists nuts like Hethmon are going to give liberals an excuse to avoid the security question. But it won't go away, especially if we ignite a war with transnational shi'ite terrorists by bombing Iran.
" "How many countries have gone through a transition like that -- peacefully, carefully? It's theoretically possible, but we don't have any examples."
True. Certainly not in America's history. Still not a good enough reason for the bigoted hatred taking place in many border states, though. Call it what it is - an ignorant excuse.
dude,
how can this be a shock to you.
as any non-White person what they think the immigration hatred is about.
they coulda told you this a decade ago.
How many children have these two white men sired? "Mount" up, guys; the future of our Aryan Nation is at stake!
Pretty much sums up the fear and anger of so many of the self entitlement folks that feel threatened by change. It is why we ascribe the Republican/social Conservatives to the bigoted racist anti LGBT tendencies in so many. Fear of losing majority and fear of those that stand up for themselves in order to advance their own needs that are not being met adequately.
The cover is saying we don't see race, we don't like diversity because it is "divisive". If people would stop talking about race, we wouldn't have racism is what they say.
Or, "I am not racist, just want to deport the illegal ones". But it seems to be just the southern border and Spanish speakers. We have more than these living/working here illegally.
We also still have the blatant bigot that feels comfortable with their racism, hatred of LGBT and Jews. They say they are defending their race, but intolerant of others defending their "people". What they are doing is fighting for their entitlement they feel they are losing.
We are all people, humans, but I do not enjoy being without a variety of people that I find interesting and give flavor to living, instead of blandness.
I am not bothered by what I view as change that blends varieties instead of separatism. I know there will eventually be a collective minority majority and I do not feel threatened or like trying to stop or counter it.
The people that pound hard on illegal entry might do more to stop the employers from hiring than attacking those that view the hiring as an invitation. I am torn, the people just want to work here, but are exploited for their status and made to hide. We also need to have citizens working and raise the wages, not lower them. Exploiting the laborer, saying I can get some folks to work for less than I pay you and keep them low paid. Also, exporting jobs. I hope to see that trend reversed because it may no longer be profitable.
Better to get more wages higher overall for revenue and economy. Better to lay out a path to legal status/citizenship instead of all the cheating (by all involved). Things will cost more, but if we all earn more, it will be better for everyone.
I do not support one sided blaming of the folks that came here illegally. Someone left their home country because of the hiring being done here.
It must be hell living in a paranoid world. I guess they will hide under the bed the day former minorities have one more person than whitey. "They're coming to take me away ha ha"
"How many countries have gone through a transition like that -- peacefully, carefully? It's theoretically possible, but we don't have any examples."
I can think of one: The United States of America. You know, the place that used to discriminate against Irish immigrants, and Italians, not to mention women and (oh yes) people of color. Yes, there was a war over slavery, but I don't recall a war over the franchise. Anyway, the cultural makeup of this nation is already way different than the mass (white) media of 50 or 60 years ago used to depict — and we're better for it.
And, of course, this country used to be 100% aboriginal. That transition certainly wasn't peaceful.
Frankly, and speaking as someone with a white skin, I'll be happy when whites are only a plurality. I think we'll all do better if the privilege of any single group goes down the crapper of history. That'll make all of us privileged, which is what I think the right is really terrified of.
Hethmon's FULL statement, distorted (surprise!) by the Post, was:
The crisis with illegal immigration and the unpleasant choices it has left the United States -- open borders chaos, enforcement of immigration law through mass detention of the illegal alien population, or attrition through enforcement-- derive from the 1965 Immigration Act, which began the wave of modern mass immigration, primarily through chain migration preferences.
The consequences were unintended and unforeseen by any of the sponsors or even opponents of the Act. The practical result was that effective control over immigration flows moved from the native-born citizen population to the most recently arrived residents, who were able to dominate the chain migration preference system. This should not have happened, because without mass immigration, in the 1970s the US was among the first nations of the world to move through the demographic transition to a sustainable birthrate.
Instead we are now on track to increase the population to a staggering 450 million while changing the demographic makeup of the entire country. What they call ‘minority-majority.’ How may countries have gone through a transition like that — peacefully, carefully? It’s theoretically possible, but we don’t have any examples.
he still put emphases on demographic makeup which still means they have a fear of minority-majority because of the population size. Any way you read it they fear minorities as a majority