House Is Ready To Take On Immigration Debate, Says Pelosi

House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she is ready and committed to take immigration reform debate on the House floor. "Immigration has been the constant reinvigoration of America," she said. (0:32)
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"It's very hard to be competititve in a presidential year if you're percieved as anti-immigrant"

Frank Sharry of America's Voice discusses how the growing presence of New Americans, the children of immigrants, will reshape the politics in America.
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New McCain ad targets Hispanic vote

Senator John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign held a conference call on a new ad, “God’s Children,” that will air in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. The ad focuses Hispanic voters. Senator Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) said the ad is an effort of the McCain campaign to target the “tremendously” important Hispanic vote and the ever-growing Hispanic community.

Martinez said the ad shows the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. and McCain speaking at the height of New Hampshire primary season. In the ad, he said that McCain proudly touts the contributions that Hispanics make to the armed services in the ad.

Martinez described McCain as very clear in his support of immigration reform, adding that McCain helped lead the first efforts for full immigration reform. Because McCain represents a border state, he truly understands immigrants’ issues and this new ad is a way to reach out to Hispanic voters and assure them of his support for reform. (16:47)
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Immigration invades 2008 election

In a conference call, America’s Voice, a campaign for building public support and political power to advance immigration reform, announced a new project to track the impact of immigration issues in the 2008 elections. Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, announced a new website, Immigration08.com, which will track ads, coverage, and commentary on immigration until the election. Recently the two nominees, Senators Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), spoke at several Latino events, so the campaign took this opportunity to announce its new site.

Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research Partners, said that the program is proposing an election-day exit poll to discern what role immigration issues played in mobilizing voters. Pete Brodnitz, the Principal of Benenson Strategy Group, advised solving immigration problems, rather than antagonizing immigrants. Simon Rosenberg, President of the New Democrat Network, said that there is no way that the Republicans can win the Presidency without a significant showing in the southwestern states and Florida, making immigration a vital issue in the upcoming election. He added that McCain (R-AZ) has shown cowardice rather than courage on immigration issues.

Sharry said that McCain understands the immigration issue but revoked his support of immigration reform in fear of a right-wing revolt. But now, he said, McCain is associated with the Bush immigration policy that represses immigrants in self-deportation. America’s Voice endorses full immigration reform with the opportunity to gain citizenship.(49:48)
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