Supporters of tougher immigration policies have rushed to the defense
of
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., head of the House Immigration Reform
Caucus,
after the Republican Party's national leadership distanced themselves
from
him because they believe his stance on illegal aliens will hurt the
party's
chances with Hispanic voters.

"Clearly, Congressman Tancredo speaks for himself and the people in his
district," said Sharon Castillo, deputy communications director for the
Republican National Committee, in an interview with the Denver Post
last
week. "He certainly doesn't speak for the Republican Party at a
national
level [on immigration], and he doesn't speak for the president."

Rudy Fernandez, who heads up grass-roots organizing for the RNC,
agreed:
"Tom Tancredo is one of 435 members [of Congress], and he has every
right
to have his opinion on immigration or any other issue, for that matter.

"But when you look at the head of the party, the head of the party is
President Bush," Fernandez told the paper.

In an effort to woo more Hispanic voters to the Republican Party, Bush
has
offered to extend amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, while the
administration has downplayed tougher border-control efforts.

Such comments and policy positions have angered grass-roots
conservatives
who say Tancredo's stance ­ that the nation ought to do more to curb
illegal immigration, especially at a time when there is heightened
concern
over terrorism ­ is the right one.

"I am outraged that the [RNC] is 'distancing' itself from Tom
Tancredo,"
said Susan Tully, Midwest field coordinator for the The Federation for
American Immigration Reform and former Republican candidate from
Wisconsin
for the U.S. Congress.

"[He] may not speak for the new politics of the RNC, but he certainly
speaks for hundreds of thousands of Republicans throughout the country
that
are beginning to feel the distance between themselves and the
committee,"
Tully said.

In the most recent incident prompting the ire of the RNC, Tancredo
demanded
that the INS deport an illegal immigrant honor student, Jesus Apodaca,
from
Aurora, Colo. The congressman has also defended himself against charges
by
two illegal immigrants that they helped remodel his home.

Last week in a floor speech in the U.S. House of Representatives,
Tancredo
said he didn't know the workers were undocumented. He also said he
brought
the Apodoca case to the attention of the INS because the family
blatantly
admitted its illegal status in local media.

"Never once in the initial call to the INS did he mention the student's
name," said Lara Kennedy, communications director for Tancredo. "He
felt,
however, that the media was making a mockery of our immigration laws by
exposing the family's [legal] status. If the INS was enforcing these
laws,
he wouldn't have had to call in the first place."

Among other issues, Tancredo has warned that as long as U.S. borders
remain
porous the nation remains vulnerable to new terrorist attacks. Citing
overwhelming electorate support, he has also called for placing U.S.
troops
on the borders and has suggested President Bush withhold attacking Iraq
until border security improves.

"As we consider going to war against Saddam Hussein, we must protect
the
vital interests of the U.S. first and foremost. We must protect our
borders," Tancredo said in a statement Sept. 12. "We cannot wait for
the
[United Nations'] permission to attack Iraq, but we can begin to gain
control over our own borders."

Commented Tully, "I don't have a problem with the RNC attempting to
attract
the Hispanic vote, but when they can't distinguish between the illegal
aliens and the [legal] voting citizen who is Hispanic," RNC officials
are
wrong. "This policy doesn't make them any different than the
Clinton-Gore
campaign [of 1996], now being fined for their pandering to foreign
nationals."

Earlier this summer the Federal Election Commission fined the
Democratic
National Committee, the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign, and other
individuals and corporations a record $719,000 for engaging in
fund-raising
improprieties in 1996.

Tully says the RNC should hold U.S. citizenship in higher esteem.

Rep. Bob Schaffer, R-Colo., a member of Tancredo's 64-member caucus,
said
he wasn't worried about a Hispanic backlash. The GOP is spending
millions
this election cycle to reach Hispanic voters traditionally allied with
Democrats.

"I haven't given any thought to that, and frankly I don't care," he
told
the Post. "If Republicans conclude breaking the law is good for
politics,
then Republicans deserve to lose."

He also said the INS was far too lax in enforcing immigration laws.

"What we're trying to do is move forward and look at the bigger picture
in
terms of immigration law," said Kennedy.

More moderate Republicans credit the party's reasonable success with
Hispanic voters to the outreach efforts of President Bush.

But in terms of what guides most Republicans on immigration policy,
Kennedy
said, "the membership of the Immigration Reform Caucus speaks for
itself."
While bipartisan in nature, "most members are Republicans," she told
WorldNetDaily.

A Zogby poll commissioned by Numbers USA in June said 58 percent of
Americans want annual immigration numbers reduced to "more historic
levels." A Fox News opinion poll in November said 65 percent of
Americans
favored stopping all immigration during the war on terror.

By yesterday afternoon, an informal, non-scientific online Denver Post
poll
showed that 85 percent of respondents had a very favorable or favorable
view of Tancredo, while 10 percent had a "somewhat favorable" view of
him
and 5 percent had unfavorable or very unfavorable views.