Election 2008: What’s At Stake?

The Republican National Convention is taking place in St. Paul, Minn., this week, and the party has released the official Republican platform (PDF). Though party platforms don’t usually amount to much in the way of legislation, they do indicate where the majority of the party stands on issues. This year’s platform committee struggled to reach a consensus on immigration issues, especially since presidential nominee John McCain supports the comprehensive immigration package that much of his party decries as “open borders” and “amnesty.”

The GOP platform, which decries “amnesty” for illegal immigrants, bases its immigration policy of enforcement and security, linking open borders to terrorism and declaring:

Immigration policy is a national security issue, for which we have one test: Does it serve the national interest? By that standard, Republicans know America can have a strong immigration system without sacrificing the rule of law.

In addition to deporting immigrants who overstay their visas or come to the U.S. illegally, the party calls for

smarter enforcement at the workplace, against illegal workers and lawbreaking employers alike, along with those who practice identity theft and traffic in fraudulent documents.

The GOP would also deny federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities, including San Francisco, which has recently experienced a backlash against its non-enforcement policy.

To mitigate its otherwise harsh stance, the GOP also calls for reforming a “a dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy” and declares

Today’s immigrants are walking in the steps of most other Americans’ ancestors, seeking the American dream and contributing culturally and economically to our nation. We celebrate the industry and love of liberty of these fellow Americans.

However, it also calls for English as a national language and declares that more must be done to ensure immigrants’ cultural assimilation.