Again and again, constituents at Rep. Glenn Grothman’s town hall meetings this week wanted to talk about DACA, “chain migration” and “the wall” — the right half of the vocabulary of the fierce immigration debate now playing out in Washington. …
In an interview, Grothman described the tilt in his district toward hard-line immigration policies as “overwhelming” and said he felt “no pressure” to cut a deal before the Feb. 8 government funding deadline or the scheduled final expiration of DACA in March….
The feedback loop in Republican-held districts is a major obstacle for those who advocate legal status and eventual citizenship for dreamers. They cite widespread public support for their views but still have to convince some lawmakers who don’t see much support among their constituents for undocumented immigrants, even those who did not choose to come to the United States.
Grothman’s tough stance was largely reinforced by the scores of people who saw him over two days this week in his conservative, mostly white 6th Congressional District, where he held eight town halls. The area north of Milwaukee on the west shore of Lake Michigan is dotted with dairy farms and midsize factories, and it has tilted increasingly Republican in recent elections. CONT.
Mike DeBonis, Washington Post
Recent polls: Immigration