Regular readers know I have little regard for the campaign of Republican Chris Edwards in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District, primarily because of his ignorance over the Tax Pledge, but also because I think it’s a shame to waste so much time and treasure on a such a hopeless race when there are so many winnable races out there.
Anyway, because of my antipathy towards Mr. Edwards, some of you folks might think I was exaggerating about what he said about illegal immigration in my live tweets during yesterday’s candidate forum. But there was no misunderstanding about his position, and he doubled-down on it when given the opportunity to address the issue in a follow-up question.
Edwards said he opposes the DREAM Act – by which some illegal immigrants would be allowed to stay in the United States if they attend college or join the military – because it wouldn’t let ENOUGH illegal immigrants stay in the country and gain a path to citizenship!
But, hey, don’t take my word for it. Here’s how the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on it this morning:
“Republican Chris Edwards, who is running a long-shot campaign for the 1st Congressional District against Democratic favorite Dina Titus, veered furthest from the party line. Unlike Republicans nationally who have been accused of demonizing Hispanic immigrants, Edwards said the problem with the DREAM Act is that it excludes too many people.
“Edwards said the act’s requirements that people go to college or enter the military for a shot at remaining in the country legally are too restrictive. He said as many as 60 percent of Hispanics in the 1st District do not have high school diplomas or GEDs, which means they cannot meet the requirements.
“’That is going to minimize the number of people who would actually benefit from the current DREAM Act as it is written,’ he said. ‘There has to be many more options provided. That, I think, is one of the fundamental flaws. There are only two paths to staying here allowed. We have to come up with other alternatives.’”
That’s right, Mr. Edwards opposes the DREAM Act because it doesn’t provide for a way for illegal immigrants who are high school dropouts to remain in the country. Lovely. Just lovely.
