Illegal immigration a hot topic for Republicans in NH

A deep concern about illegal immigration among Republicans is being reported by the Concord Monitor. Tom Tancredo is of course the Republican candidate most identified with cracking down on illegal immigrants and the employers who hire them, to the point of acting more like the representative of an interest group rather than presidential candidate, as 2008 Central has noted. Here's a quote from the article:

"People have a very deep, deep concern about this, and it's not just politicos like me. It is little gray-haired ladies and moms and dads. This has saturated the population," said Shelly Uscinski, Tancredo's New Hampshire campaign manager. "When you see all the presidential candidates have moved to the Tancredo position, you know that it's an important issue."

What's interesting is that New Hampshire does not have too many illegals.

Asked if she'd ever seen an illegal immigrant in New Hampshire, Uscinski said she doesn't ask people their citizenship status and that reporters should do more to find them. "I travel around with my candidate," she said. "I don't really imagine that too many illegal aliens or aliens would be attending Tancredo events.

The heat on this issue could be surprising in New Hampshire, a state of 1.3 million that has a small immigrant population and a tiny illegal one. According to census estimates, the state gained 13,700 immigrants from 2000 to 2006; one expert projects that the state may have a total illegal immigrant population of 6,000 to 7,000.

This should not be surprising. It's much tougher to take on big employers who profit from using illegals. But in the absence of a powerful economic interest in a state which has yet to be deeply affected by the issue, a candidate can hammer away without a lot of opposition. Getting the other candidates to move towards his position on immigration is perhaps Tancredo's real reason for running for president, and it looks like it is succeeding, as Giuliani and Romney tack to the right.