There is an effort underway to encourage the Republican Party to reconsider its close ties to the business community when it comes to the issue of immigration reform. A number of Conservatives are suggesting that the party should focus on the problems that increase the number of immigrants would create for ordinary Americans when it comes to finding work.
Recent polls have suggested that voters are concerned about immigration reform resulting in fewer jobs for American workers, and various Conservatives believe that the Republican Party needs to gain a new approach that appeals more to the common worker as the 2014 midterm elections approach.
“Jobs is the primary motivator for awakening action on immigration,” says Polling Company founder, Kellyanne Conway. “Hispanics [and] even liberals pipe up [on the issue]. Independents, those making less than $40,000 a year and 85% of blue-collar workers agree with this. They believe that protecting American jobs is an incredibly important point of this immigration equation to them, even if it’s left out of the national conversation.”
The Republican Party has long been divided on the issue, with many Republicans ‒ particularly Representatives Steve King and Lamar Smith in the House of Representatives and Senator Jeff Sessions ‒ having continually argued that American workers would be left worse off by any immigration deals. Sessions say that with pay for workers already stagnating and the economy still in recovery, the last thing the country needs is a fresh influx of new immigrants.