Nebraska’s Latino Republicans Push Immigration Reform

The Latino Republican organization that grew out of Arizona, Somos Republicans, has expanded across the country and now includes chapters in Colorado, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Utah and Virginia. Recently, Bob Quasius, Mid-West Director for Somos Republicans, worked to bring respectful immigration reform to Nebraska.

Somos Republicans has begun a nationwide effort called Compact With America to bring a Utah-style compact to the country which includes the following principles: immigration is a federal issue, local law enforcement shouldn’t enforce federal laws, don’t separate families unnecessarily, the economic importance of immigrant labor and immigrants are our neighbors.

Nebraska State Senator Brenda Council -D introduced such a resolution to the legislature in that state after Somos Republicans reached out to her. Support for this resolution is bipartisan, says Quasius, adding that Somos Republicans has been reaching out to members of both parties.

The organization is currently actively promoting such Compacts in Texas, Colorado, Florida and Arizona. This type of work is important because this is a growing organization that has the media’s ear and they’re doing good work in a party that has allowed its most extreme members to turn this into a racist debate, when it’s just a policy debate.