Go Back Where You Came From

New Hampshire is part of a fast-spreading grassroots backlash whose message to Washington is simple: Seal the borders from illegal immigration, or we'll take matters into our own hands. The outcry has reached all the way to President George W. Bush, who was warned recently by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) to pull back from the Administration's goal of providing guest worker status to undocumented workers in the U.S. A shift in the rhetoric may not be enough, however. Across the country, local officials are howling over the use of scarce tax dollars to provide health care, education, welfare, and other benefits for illegals. The uprising is spreading in reaction to a new burst of illegal immigration. Both major parties are torn internally over how to handle the problem. Business-friendly Republicans want to satisfy employers' appetite for low-wage labor by passing the Administration's guest worker program. Democrats are divided, too. They are sympathetic to the struggles of immigrants, legal and illegal alike, and would like to hold on to their edge among Hispanic voters by appearing more welcoming to both groups.