Conservatives for the Immigration Bill

A open letter to conservatives, asking them to band together on the Immigration Blill in today's Dallas News.

Border security, the rule of law, national interest, economic competitiveness — these are the conservative concerns at the heart of the agreement. Yet conservatism is also, as Ronald Reagan reminded us, about optimism and self-confidence — about an America sure enough of itself to be a big tent and a beacon.

The Senate framework will allow us to go on attracting immigrants and maintain the rule of law, too. The benefits of the bill far outweigh its shortcomings. We believe it offers the only realistic way forward, and urge conservatives — and all Americans — to embrace the promise it holds out.

Signers include:

• Jack Kemp, former New York congressman


• Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida


• Ken Mehlman, former chairman, Republican National Committee


• Tamar Jacoby, senior fellow, Manhattan Institute


• James Q. Wilson, professor of public policy, Pepperdine University


• Bill Paxon, former New York congressman


• Michael Gerson, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations


• Hector Barreto, chairman, The Latino Coalition


• Ken Weinstein, CEO, Hudson Institute


• Lawrence Kudlow, economics editor, National Review Online


• Linda Chavez, chairman, Center for Equal Opportunity


• Charlie Black, chairman, BKSH & Associates


• Mike Murphy, Republican strategist


• Francis Fukuyama, professor of political economy, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies


• Max Boot, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations


• Richard Gilder, partner, Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co., LLC


• Jeff Bell, principal, Capital City Partners


• Steven Wagner, former director, Human Trafficking Program, Department of Health and Human Services


• Gregory Mankiw, professor of economics, Harvard University


• Donald J. Boudreaux, chairman, Economics Department, George Mason University


• Philip I. Levy, resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute


• Kevin Hassett, director of economic policy studies, American Enterprise Institute


• Jerry Bowyer, chairman, Bowyer Media


• Clint Bolick, senior fellow, Goldwater Institute


• Robert de Posada, president, The Latino Coalition


• Gary Rosen, managing editor, Commentary


• Joseph Bottum, editor, First Things


• John McWhorter, senior fellow, Manhattan Institute


• Larry Cirignano, Catholic activist


• Pancho Kinney, former director of strategy, White House Office of Homeland Security

Hat-tip: Greg Mankiw (one of the signers)

Immigration Posted by jk at June 6, 2007 6:14 PM