July 11, 2014 5:45 PM

SB: With border crisis as backdrop, Texas business interests are in a full-court press on immigration

Humanitarian crisis on the Texas-Mexico border turns the issue on its head

Hoping to lose none of any ground – either real or perceived – they may have gained on immigration in the United States House of Representatives, Texas business interests over the last couple weeks have been publicly pushing as hard as ever for comprehensive reform. The fact that tens of thousands of migrant children have flooded South Texas in what has become a true humanitarian crisis greatly complicates the issue that has for years put two major factions within the GOP, business and the Tea Party, at odds.

How unpredictable have things become?

Witness the fact that far-right commentator Glenn Beck is taking heat from some conservatives for saying “we must open our hearts” to these children. To his credit, Beck is planning to take tractor-trailers to McAllen filled with water, food, teddy bears and soccer balls to them. If you go to Beck’s website, you don’t have to scroll down very far in the comments to find anger about his plan: “Open our hearts to what…?!…Deadly Diseases…Murder…Rape…Molestation…Theft…More Welfare Recipients…?!”

Though Texas business leaders have slowly reported progress over the last year, winning the support of staunch conservatives like Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, and Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, they’ve more recently found reason to be discouraged by headlines in outlets like Politico proclaiming that reform is dead this year.

Speaker John Boehner, as Quorum Report first told you, had privately been telling business leaders from Texas that he would hold votes on immigration after Republicans could no longer draw Tea Party challengers. Later, he openly mocked some of his own members for being unwilling to take an affirmative stand. There are likely enough votes to pass something out of the House now, even if large numbers of Republicans vote no, but Boehner hasn’t moved.

Chris Tomlinson in the Houston Chronicle observes that Speaker Boehner might finally do something once all GOP primaries across the nation are concluded. But here in Texas where the primaries are over, one of the party’s leading voices – if not its leading voice – sounds as hardline as ever.

Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, the party’s nominee for Lite Guv, told delegates at the Republican Party of Texas Convention that they should send a message to Boehner that immigration reform should take a backseat to border security. He wanted Texas Republicans to send a message to Boehner that now isn’t the right time for reform. Not until the border is locked down, he said. Those same delegates on that same day rejected what’s been called the Texas Solution, which includes a guest worker program but no path to citizenship. Interesting, though, that 44 percent of the delegates on the floor wanted to retain support for a guest worker program. So, there is now a legitimate debate about immigration within the base of the party.

By Scott Braddock