While the Republican party as a whole continues to stall when it comes to the issue of immigration reform, a number of Republican congressmen have been going out of their way to reassure constituents that they do not share the views of their colleagues.
Republicans Jeff Denham and David Valadao, who are both up for re-election in the predominantly agricultural region of California, say that they are in favor of immigration reform, according to Fox News Latino. $300,000 has been spent on television advertisements by the US Chamber of Commerce in Valadao’s 21st congressional district, which highlights the fact that Valadao’s parents were immigrants. Denham represents the 10th district and has pointed out that he was given an award from the biggest Latino rights group in the United States for “putting sound immigration policy over party politics”.
Denham was the first member of the Republican party to sponsor the comprehensive immigration bill that was passed by the Senate last year but remains in limbo in the House of Representatives. “People have seen I’ve shown real leadership in driving this issue forward,” he claims.
Other candidates in the Republican party have also been making sure that they are seen to be supporting immigration reform, particularly in districts that feature large Latino populations; however, in Southern California these candidates are being targeted by Democrats, who point out that none of them have been willing to sign a petition that would force the immigration bill to a vote in the House.