Republican congressman Raúl Labrador stated on Laura Ingraham’s radio show Thursday that Senator John McCain has recently taken a “tone of desperation” on immigration reform by suggesting that the fate of the Republican party depends on the passage of a bill.
McCain’s approach, Labrador said, is rooted in the “fantasy” that Republicans will gain the Hispanic vote by supporting an immigration bill. Immigration reform “is the right thing for us to do,” Labrador argued, but Republicans “shouldn’t do it out of fear” of losing elections.
The Idaho congressman believes that there is a more effective way to attract Hispanic voters to conservative policies; he applauded the strategy adopted by Steve Pierce, a state senator in Arizona, who has continually met with members of Hispanic communities and appealed to common principles.
Labrador also told Ingraham that he left the House “Group of Eight” last week because of policy disgreements, particularly over whether illegal immigrants should be responsible for their own health-care costs. Conservatives must “be willing to walk away from a bad deal,” he said.
Labrador has played an important role in crafting an immigration bill in the House, serving on the House Judiciary Committee and on the subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. As one of three former immigration attorneys involved, Labrador’s participation in the process has been “vital,” according to Representative Bob Goodlatte of Virginia who chairs the Judiciary Committee.
Labrador assured Ingraham that he will continue to be involved in negotiations. “What I tell conservatives is . . . let’s make sure that we as conservatives get everything we need,” he said, advocating that they remain firm on the need to ensure border and interior security before negotiating on legalization for the country’s 11 million illegal immigrants.