A draft version of the Republican National Committee platform was briefly available Friday and, according to this version reposted by Politico, the party is reviving its hardline approach against immigration, demanding a national E-verify program be used by all businesses.
The issue could, however, revive bitter feuds within the agricultural community in Florida and elsewhere. The database compares employment information in the federal Homeland Security and Social Security system to determine the legal status of employees. However, the database is considered incomplete and employers complain it takes too long to determine verification.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who campaigned on a promise to require all businesses in Florida use the internet-based E-verify program, backed down from his promise in June, saying he preferred a national solution instead. Download Draft platform
The platform, which mirrors many of the provisions adopted by the Republican Party in 2008, also demands an end to the practice of cities providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants and demands an end to in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students at public universities.
According to the document, scheduled to be released and voted by delegates beginning Monday: "The pending Department of Justice lawsuits against Alabama, South Caroline, and Utah must be dismissed immediately. The double-layered fencing on the border that was enacted by Congress in 2006, but never completed, must finally be built. In order to restore the rule of law, federal funding should be denied to universitiese that provide in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens, in open defiance of federal law."
The draft was approved this week by members of the party's platform committee.
Comments