USA Today, 12/18/2012 -
“House leaders chose a vocal opponent of illegal immigration to head up the chamber's immigration subcommittee, which will play an integral role in the upcoming debates on how to reform the nation's immigration laws.
“Incoming House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., announced Tuesday that Rep. Trey Gowdy, a former South Carolina prosecutor who was part of the GOP freshman wave of 2010, will head the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
“During the presidential campaign, Republican candidate Mitt Romney took a hard stance against illegal immigration. President Obama went on to win the Hispanic vote 71%-27%, leading many to call on the GOP to moderate its stance on immigration.
“’What it suggests is that the House Republicans aren't going to allow themselves to be stampeded by this amnesty panic because Gowdy is pretty hawkish on immigration,’ Krikorian said.
“Gowdy opposed the Obama administration's decision to grant deferred deportations to some young illegal immigrants. He co-sponsored a law titled the "Prohibiting Back-door Amnesty Act" aimed at reversing that decision. And he co-sponsored a bill that would have stopped the Department of Justice from suing states such as Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina that passed tough illegal immigration laws.
“Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a group that supports a plan giving the country's illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship, said Gowdy's appointment will make it harder for Republicans who want to restore the party's standing with Hispanic voters.
“’If the Republican Party wants to get right on immigration reform that puts 11 million immigrants on the road to citizenship, I suspect they'll have to go around (Gowdy) or over him,’ Sharry said.
To read the full article, please click here.
“House leaders chose a vocal opponent of illegal immigration to head up the chamber's immigration subcommittee, which will play an integral role in the upcoming debates on how to reform the nation's immigration laws.
“Incoming House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., announced Tuesday that Rep. Trey Gowdy, a former South Carolina prosecutor who was part of the GOP freshman wave of 2010, will head the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
“During the presidential campaign, Republican candidate Mitt Romney took a hard stance against illegal immigration. President Obama went on to win the Hispanic vote 71%-27%, leading many to call on the GOP to moderate its stance on immigration.
“’What it suggests is that the House Republicans aren't going to allow themselves to be stampeded by this amnesty panic because Gowdy is pretty hawkish on immigration,’ Krikorian said.
“Gowdy opposed the Obama administration's decision to grant deferred deportations to some young illegal immigrants. He co-sponsored a law titled the "Prohibiting Back-door Amnesty Act" aimed at reversing that decision. And he co-sponsored a bill that would have stopped the Department of Justice from suing states such as Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina that passed tough illegal immigration laws.
“Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a group that supports a plan giving the country's illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship, said Gowdy's appointment will make it harder for Republicans who want to restore the party's standing with Hispanic voters.
“’If the Republican Party wants to get right on immigration reform that puts 11 million immigrants on the road to citizenship, I suspect they'll have to go around (Gowdy) or over him,’ Sharry said.
To read the full article, please click here.
