By: Daniel Nardini
My jaw dropped to the floor when I learned that front runner Mitt Romney, the favored Republican candidate for the presidency, was given a resounding endorsement by Kris Kobach. My eyes popped out when I learned that Romney not only readily accepted Kris Kobach’s endorsement but “strongly approved of Kris Kobach’s conservative values.” You may all be wondering who Kris Kobach is? Currently he is the Secretary of State of Kansas. But this official position belies a more fundamental truth about Kobach. He is one of the dark knights of the extreme right wing nativist movement. This man has been instrumental in helping those states of Arizona and Alabama draft their current state immigration laws. This is who the man is.
Kris Kobach is a leading member of the Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform (FAIR)—the same organization that has been dedicated to stifling immigration of any kind whether it be legal or of the undocumented. Kobach is also counsel for the Immigration Law Reform Institute—the legal arm of FAIR. Because of this position he was able to provide legal counsel to the political officials in the states of Arizona and Alabama for drafting their anti-immigrant laws so they would survive judicial review. Kobach has also been instrumental in bringing lawsuits against both Kansas and California against laws in those two states that allow undocumented students to have in-state tuition. The state courts in Kansas dismissed Kobach’s lawsuit as having no legal standing, and the California state courts let the law granting undocumented students in-state tuition stand. Kobach also defended the local city ordinances in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, that required local police to arrest undocumented and deny rental property to the undocumented.
So now we come full-circle. Not only has Kris Kobach endorsed Romney, but Romney has now publicly stated that he fully supports Kobach and his views. This is particularly terrifying for Latinos and Asian immigrants. The man clearly has an ax to grind against them, and with Mitt Romney’s support he might become a high member in a possible Romney presidential administration. Romney has also stated that he will veto the federal DREAM Act, build a bigger wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and fully support Arizona and Alabama’s state immigration laws. It is becoming very clear that Mitt Romney’s stance is clearly anti-immigrant—in keeping with many conservative’s and right wing loonies’ views that somehow “non-white” immigration is “bad.” If Mitt Romney will most likely be the front runner for the Republican nominee for the presidency, and if he stands a chance at beating current U.S. President Barack Obama, we as a nation have a lot to worry about.
Mad Man on the Loose
By: Daniel Nardini
Kris Kobach is a leading member of the Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform (FAIR)—the same organization that has been dedicated to stifling immigration of any kind whether it be legal or of the undocumented. Kobach is also counsel for the Immigration Law Reform Institute—the legal arm of FAIR. Because of this position he was able to provide legal counsel to the political officials in the states of Arizona and Alabama for drafting their anti-immigrant laws so they would survive judicial review. Kobach has also been instrumental in bringing lawsuits against both Kansas and California against laws in those two states that allow undocumented students to have in-state tuition. The state courts in Kansas dismissed Kobach’s lawsuit as having no legal standing, and the California state courts let the law granting undocumented students in-state tuition stand. Kobach also defended the local city ordinances in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, that required local police to arrest undocumented and deny rental property to the undocumented.
So now we come full-circle. Not only has Kris Kobach endorsed Romney, but Romney has now publicly stated that he fully supports Kobach and his views. This is particularly terrifying for Latinos and Asian immigrants. The man clearly has an ax to grind against them, and with Mitt Romney’s support he might become a high member in a possible Romney presidential administration. Romney has also stated that he will veto the federal DREAM Act, build a bigger wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and fully support Arizona and Alabama’s state immigration laws. It is becoming very clear that Mitt Romney’s stance is clearly anti-immigrant—in keeping with many conservative’s and right wing loonies’ views that somehow “non-white” immigration is “bad.” If Mitt Romney will most likely be the front runner for the Republican nominee for the presidency, and if he stands a chance at beating current U.S. President Barack Obama, we as a nation have a lot to worry about.