Ron Paul blasts “barbed wire” immigration policy
Chron.com reports Ron Paul’s efforts to win Hispanic voters over to the Republican Party using the message of individual liberty and freedom:
Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul outlined his views on immigration Wednesday, saying he favors a compassionate policy that doesn’t rely on “barbed-wire fences and guns on our border.”
Paul spoke to several dozen people organized by Hispanics in Politics, Nevada’s oldest Hispanic community group. The Texas congressman has scheduled several days of campaigning in Nevada before the state’s caucuses Saturday. . . .
“When things go badly, individuals look for scapegoats,” Paul said. “Hispanics, the immigrants who have come in, are being used as scapegoats.” . . .
“If an individual is found to be breaking the law, serious consideration should be given for them to return. But I would think 99 percent of people who come here come because they believe in the American dream,” Paul said to applause. . . .
Hispanics in Nevada have favored Democrats over Republicans in recent election years — a full 74 percent of Hispanics supported President Barack Obama in 2008 over GOP rival John McCain.
But Fernando Cortes, Paul’s director of Hispanic outreach in Nevada, said many Hispanic voters had shown interest in Paul’s message.
“They’re always pandered to by the left and ignored by the right,” Cortes said of Hispanic voters. “They’re very motivated by the wanting of freedom back and a sound economy.”