Republicans are getting very little heat on comprehensive immigration reform at their August town halls, reports USA Today.
One example cited is Rep. Frank LoBiondo, who represents a South Jersey congressional district with a large Hispanic population and farmlands that employ migrant workers. He said in an interview, “it’s not coming up. It is a big issue nationally, but in this district it’s just not something on people’s minds.”
LoBiondo is exactly the type of congressman immigration advocates like Senator Lindsey Graham said should be targeted over the August recess.
But people in his district are more concerned with “the economy, the implementation of Obama’s health care law, unrest in the Middle East and even how to improve local infrastructure to ease traffic to the Jersey shore.”
It’s not because advocates aren’t trying. LoBiondo has not staked out any hard-line positions on immigration, and his is one of 17 congressional districts the House Democrats’ campaign operation said they would target on immigration in August with “media tactics, messaging amplification and community outreach,” according to a memo.
Last week, Organizing for Action, an outside political group promoting Obama’s agenda, used its local New Jersey Twitter account in an effort to organize supporters to appear at a LoBiondo event in Cape May to show support for an immigration overhaul. Jason Galanes, LoBiondo’s spokesman, notified event organizers and local police that protesters might be in attendance.
It turns out, the extra security wasn’t necessary. “No one showed up,” Galanes said.