From the San Diego Union Tribune (link):

The four candidates seeking the GOP nomination to run for the U.S. Senate [generally agree with Bush except] on one issue - President Bush's plan to allow millions of illegal immigrants to have temporary legal status - the candidates have been willing to openly criticize the president.

...As a group, they've taken a tougher stance on immigrants than the president, reflecting a split in the Republican Party between hard-liners and those wishing to accommodate illegal immigrants and their employers.

...[Proposition 187] - passed but later overturned in court - soured relations between Republicans and Latino voters for years.

By contrast, Bush, while governor of Texas, courted Latinos, enjoying good relations with voters and Mexican government officials. [NOTE: Lonewacko suggests googling "Bandar Bush" for an example from another country.]

Bush said his plan, announced last month, would make U.S. laws "more rational and humane" by allowing immigrants with a job to have a three-year renewable work permit.

Under the plan, the immigrant gets a temporary worker card allowing him to travel back and forth to his home country.

...Kaloogian called the president's immigration plan unworkable because it will encourage more immigration... [Kaloogian opposes Bush's plan, but wants to support Bush on other matters...]

...[Toni Casey] opposes the president's plan because she believes it amounts to amnesty for illegal immigrants, and prefers a guest-worker program instead.

..."I compliment the president for bringing the issue up, but I don't think the measure fits California," [Bill Jones] said.

...[Rosario] Marin said she opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants...

...Republican analyst Allan Hoffenblum said the division between the Senate candidates and Bush reflects some anger against immigrants in California.

"I think you saw candidates playing to their audience," he said after a debate at the state Republican convention earlier this month in Burlingame.

He also said that hard-liners might be on the rise within a Republican Party that has tried for years to win back Latino voters turned off by Proposition 187 in 1994.

"Some of us said we thought we learned our lesson in 1994," he said. "But now some hard-core immigrant-bashers are creeping back."

First of all, Rosario Marin is indeed opposed to amnesty. However, she supports the Bush/Fox Amnesty, because she doesn't think it's amnesty. In other words, while she might have problems with Bush's plan, she generally supports it. I've included several quotes in the extended entry supporting my contention; click 'MORE' directly below to read them.

As for the article itself, I've bolded places where the word "immigrant" or "immigration" should have either been preceded by that other word "illegal" or should not have been personalized (i.e., "illegal immigration" should have been used instead of "immigrant.") Some of those instances might not be the reporter's or editor's fault.

I also find the section headings a bit "interesting:" "Bashing immigration Various ideas" and "Rise of hard-liners Former Mexican." Huh?

Also, contrary to what Allan Hoffenblum or the CW states, Proposition 187 was initially supported by Latinos, believe it or not. The problem was a) lies told by the opposition, and b) anti-immigrant messages from its proponents. The problem would appear not to have been 187 itself so much as the selling efforts of both sides. See this:

In 1994, the campaign for Proposition 187, the anti- illegal-immigrant ballot initiative in California, degenerated into a racially charged referendum on the state's demographic evolution. While early polls indicated the heavily American-born Latino electorate didn't feel much solidarity with illegal immigrants, a growing belief that the initiative's supporters were not distinguishing between illegal and legal immigrants - or foreign- and American-born Latinos - led Latino voters to soundly reject the measure. But it still passed.

Allan Hoffenblum and others have learned the wrong message from 187.

Click 'MORE' directly below to see the Marin coverage where she supports the Bush/Fox Amnesty:

A look at how Marin stands on some key issues (link):

IMMIGRATION REFORM -- Supports Bush efforts to reform immigration but said, "Before I would support legislation involving any of the ideas he has proposed, I would require that we dedicate the resources and personnel necessary to securing our borders." Calls on Mexico to do its part in securing the border. "Mexico must help us to secure our common border on its side to stop illegal immigration."

Boxer Gets Backing From Latino Group in Primary (link):

she received glowing introductions from state Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) and Los Angeles City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa [NOTE: both are former members of the racial separatist organization MEChA -LW]

Race for Boxer's U.S. Senate seat subdued (link):

Marin, who came to the United States from Mexico as a teen-ager, strongly supports President Bush's plan to create a guest worker program for immigrants now in the country illegally. Kaloogian has repeatedly attacked the president's proposal. Jones and Casey also oppose it, but less vociferously.

Senate candidate Marin blames Mexico for illegal immigration (link):

Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, one of four Republican candidates challenging Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, said Thursday that economic and legal problems in Mexico were primarily to blame for this country's "failed immigration policy."

Marin, a Mexican immigrant, called on leaders of that country to stimulate the economy of Mexico by restructuring its tax system, encouraging private investment and funding $50 billion in repairs to its national power grid...

Valerie Walston, spokeswoman for Republican senatorial candidate and former California Secretary of State Bill Jones, criticized Marin for failing to address key issues closer to home such as the granting of driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.

A fighting chance against Boxer (link):

On immigration, Messrs. Jones and Kaloogian oppose President Bush's recent proposal for a kind of guest-worker program, but the program is supported by Ms. Marin. Mr. Jones said the Bush administration "has not protected the border." Mr. Kaloogian wants to stop illegal immigrants sending money back to their home countries by requiring banks to check for "the proper identification" - a matter we believe is separate from the immigration issue.

Ms. Marin supports President Bush's guest-worker program and insists that critics are wrong in calling it an amnesty program. "Some of the candidates want to trash our president," she said. "I want to help our president." She also favors prodding Mexico to reform its anti-business policies to encourage job growth there so immigrants feel less compelled to go north.

Marin Draws a Contrast to Past GOP Candidates (link):

Marin is the only one of the candidates to support Bush's immigrant guest-worker plan, which has been criticized by some Republicans as a faulty "amnesty" policy. Latinos, on the other hand, criticize Marin for being blindly loyal to the president.

"She makes a good house Mexican for the Republicans," read a mass e-mail by Steven J. Ybarra, a Democratic National Committee official...

Marin, occasionally looking up from her printed remarks, called Bush's guest-worker plan a good first step, but she spent most of her time criticizing Mexico for not doing enough to stem the flow of illegal immigration.

Afterward, Marin was repeatedly questioned about whether she backs legislation that would withhold federal aid to states that approve driver's licenses for illegal immigrants...

The reporter persisted. Marin called the legislation a "Band-Aid" approach but did not give her stance.