Michigan’s Democrat US Senate nominee Gary Peters told those attending a town hall event in Mexicantown in Detroit that enforcing current laws should not be the aim of immigration reform; instead, any reform should be about fixing the problems inherent in the existing system.
The comment was made in April 2013; however, now the video clip has been obtained by Breitbart News, the comment could well become an issue for Peters. He is starting to struggle to maintain momentum in the Senate race, which at one time had seemed to be a sure thing. Republican Terri Lynn Land is gaining on him, with a recent CBS News and New York Times poll putting Land one point above Peters.
The Republican candidate has also been very successful in terms of fundraising, having raked in $3.3m in the last quarter, the Washington Free Beacon claims. This beat Peters, who pulled in less than $2m. National Democrats are starting to become worried about the seat, according to the New York Times, and there are concerns that if Republicans cease their own infighting over immigration then this could be a strong weapon against the Democrats in elections.
“The GOP needs to flip the immigration debate on its head,” claimed Senator Jeff Sessions in 2013; Sessions has long opposed giving amnesty to undocumented immigrants. “The same set of GOP strategists, lobbyists and donors, who have always favored a proposal like the Gang of Eight immigration bill, argue that the great lesson of the 2012 election is that the GOP needs to push for immediate amnesty and a drastic surge in low-skill immigration. This is nonsense.”