Why Should Iowa Outcome Influence Immigration Policy?

Ruben Navarrette's views in the San Diego Union-Tribune:
What's the matter with Iowa?

Maybe I'm experiencing a little geographic jealously. When I moved to California, I assumed that San Diego - as a border town - would be ground zero in the immigration debate. So when did Sioux City, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids cut in line?

If Iowa is, in fact, the new center of the immigration debate, what sense does that make? If you've been paying attention, you know that despite the lip service given to border security and fighting terrorism, much of the debate is driven by demographics and the concern that the United States is becoming too Latino. In some parts of the country, such anxiety might make sense. But who would have imagined you'd find traces of it in a region that is still overwhelmingly Anglo?

According to the 2000 Census, Iowa is about 94 percent white, 3 percent Hispanic, 2 percent black and 1 percent Asian.

That is not exactly a majority-minority state in the offing. And yet, we're told the outcome of the Iowa caucuses - especially on the Republican side - could come down to the candidates' views on immigration. Click herefor the rest of the column.

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