SPRINGFIELD – At the Illinois Republican Party's 2016 Convention, the state's GOP delegates overwhelmingly supported a platform that contained this strong plank on the issue of immigration. It emphasized a "front door" policy.
The issue plank concluded with these words that rank and file Republicans are saying has been totally ignored by the IL GOP leadership – including Governor Rauner – despite Republicans throughout the state supporting this position:
We call on the Illinois government to assist our federal government in the mission of protecting our homeland. We therefore urge reversal of “sanctuary city” policies, which bar our law enforcement officers from aiding Immigration & Customs Enforcement agents. Border control is a national security and public safety issue. We further call on the federal government to secure and protect our borders and vigorously enforce the law of the land.
We further call on the federal and Illinois government to abandon all incentives that encourage illegal immigrants to settle in Illinois, as these incentives put a strain on our already struggling economy and is insulting to those who immigrated here legally.
Does the Illinois Republican Party's platform mean anything at all? Should IL GOP demand their party officials adhere to the platform rather than ignore it?
The platform plank as accepted in 2016:
V. ADVOCATING A ‘FRONT DOOR’ POLICY ON IMMIGRATION
We are a nation of immigrants, and the Republican Party welcomes those who respect our laws and seek freedom and opportunity in our great country. We believe it is only right to expect that our new residents come in through the front door and join us in society as fellow Americans.
We call on the Federal Government to streamline the task of citizenship for legal immigrants to assimilate and complete the process of becoming Americans.
We support American workers and believe government should ensure businesses only hire legal workers. We oppose the abuse of the worker visa program that puts Americans out of work.
We call for the consideration of full citizenship rights to be granted to any legal immigrant who has shown their willingness to embrace and defend American values upon the honorable completion of service in the armed forces of the United States.
We strongly believe that those who have been deported for violating our laws by their conduct as residents of the United States – should not be granted a second opportunity to take their place among us; this is a matter of both self-protection and of upholding public trust.
We call on the Illinois government to assist our federal government in the mission of protecting our homeland. We therefore urge reversal of “sanctuary city” policies, which bar our law enforcement officers from aiding Immigration & Customs Enforcement agents. Border control is a national security and public safety issue. We further call on the federal government to secure and protect our borders and vigorously enforce the law of the land.
We further call on the federal and Illinois government to abandon all incentives that encourage illegal immigrants to settle in Illinois, as these incentives put a strain on our already struggling economy and is insulting to those who immigrated here legally.
