Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson rose nervously to urge Republicans at the state party’s convention to support a national guest-worker program for millions of undocumented residents.
Two years earlier, the party that dominates the second-most populous state had called for a crackdown on illegal immigrants.
“‘Well, here’s the end of a political career,’” Patterson said, recalling his thought as he looked over the June 8 gathering in the Fort Worth Convention Center. Instead, the delegates passed the platform with the guest-worker plan.
In Texas, the state with the second-largest illegal- immigrant population, Republicans have softened their stance toward them. The vote reflected a more pragmatic view of years past, such as when Governor Rick Perry signed a first-in-the- nation 2001 law that gave undocumented residents in-state tuition rates at public colleges. It preceded a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week that voided most of an Arizona law cracking down on people in the country illegally.
“I’m no bleeding heart; I oppose birthright citizenship,” said Patterson, 65, whose elected office controls state lands and mineral rights. “But we need the labor.”
Job Growth
Employers in Texas, where job growth led the 10 largest U.S. states in the 12 months through March, can’t find people for jobs in industries such as construction and food service, Patterson said. The new platform put the party in line with agriculture directors in 15 states, including Texas, who are pushing for the creation of a “conditional status” for undocumented workers. The group includes Alabama, where labor shortages arose after a crackdown on illegal residents.
Texas GOP Shift May Show Way Out of Immigration Stalement - Bloomberg