Brief Blog: May 3, 2010 – Immigration law focuses candidates

In March, Arizona’s five congressional Democrats voted in favor of ObamaCare.  For Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick, Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords, it was a public relations nightmare to go along with the Democratic agenda without letting their approval ratings slide too far back home.

Their strategy?  Vote for health care reform and then blame Arizona’s Republican Governor Jan Brewer.  On March 24, after voting in favor of ObamaCare, Reps. Giffords, Grijalva, Mitchell and Pastor issued the following joint statement:

“We came to our individual decisions to support health insurance reform in the wake of the Governor and state legislature’s move to kick close to 400,000 Arizonans, including 40,000 children, off their health insurance. The state’s decision to slash Medicaid and KidsCare, which puts Arizona at risk to lose billions in federal matching funds and kill over 42,000 jobs was an important consideration in our decision to vote for health insurance reform legislation…”

But hardly a month passed before Brewer was able to return the favor.  On April 23, she signed a tough illegal immigration measure after citing the federal government’s failure to secure the border.  In her bill signing press conference, she stated:

“Senate Bill 1070 represents another tool for our state to use as we work to solve a crisis we did not create and the federal government has refused to fix…We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act.  But decades of federal inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation.”

Governor Brewer’s finger-pointing has fractured the unity among those same congressional Democrats.  Reps. Kirkpatrick and Giffords, both facing tough election challenges in November, have turned into border hawks.  To their credit, they are calling for border security reinforcements.

In a press release on April 30, Kirkpatrick described the border region as “out of control” and that the federal government “cannot ignore its responsibilities anymore.”  A day later, Giffords called on President Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to “immediately deploy the National Guard and increase the number of Border Patrol agents on the border in Arizona.”

Moreover, neither has openly opposed Arizona’s new illegal immigration law.  Compare their reaction to Rep. Grijalva’s.  He called for economic sanctions against his own constituents, called Arizona a “little backward state” and told a reporter he was acting “punkish” for asking about his plan to address drug trafficking across the border.

NPR interview: Rep. Grijalva calls Arizona a “little backward state”

Below: Video of Rep. Grijalva calling a reporter “punkish”…

The United States’ southern border is the only place on Earth where a developed nation adjoins a developing nation.  Consider the problems associated with our security failures:  homicides, kidnapping, identity theft, drug trafficking and human smuggling.

Securing the border is a federal responsibility.  Giffords and Kirkpatrick, along with Governor Brewer and Sens. McCain and Kyl, should be commended for the urgency they are placing on the federal government to fulfill its obligations.  But voters would be wise this fall to question whether or not Rep. Grijalva truly wants to represent this “little backward state”.