Donald Trump 'Divides' the GOP on Illegal Immigration

There is no "divide" in the GOP on immigration: with few exceptions, Republicans are soft-and-squishy and all down with John McCain-style "shamnesty" reform. Donald Trump is refreshing. Is he a crank on a host of issues? Sure. But he's so plain-talking he's capturing the grassroots populist hunger for change.

It's not hard.

Jake Tapper's CNN panel discussed it this morning, "Trump's comments divide GOP."

At the Los Angeles Times, "Donald Trump's comments on immigration complicate GOP's 'Latino problem'":

When Donald Trump disparaged Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and drug-runners during his presidential announcement, the slurs were initially dismissed as just another outrageous pronouncement from the blustery billionaire.

But as Latinos reel in anger and celebrities and corporate sponsors drop their associations with Trump, the Republican Party's other presidential hopefuls face an increasingly uncomfortable choice: engage with Trump and elevate his already high visibility, or stay silent and risk appearing to condone his statements. So far, most have said little, hoping the controversy will fade.

It's the latest Latino problem for the GOP, which will have great difficulty winning the White House if it fails to expand its overwhelmingly white base to include minorities. The problem will only worsen if Trump continues to do well enough in polls to qualify for the party's televised debates...

Plus, "Donald Trump comments still dominating the GOP debate, dividing the field":

More than two weeks after his disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants attracted attention, Donald Trump continues to dominate the Republican campaign debate and divide the candidates.

Initially, most Republican presidential hopefuls tried to ignore Trump. But as major corporations cut ties with him over his charge that some Mexican immigrants were "rapists," and as the issue continues to fill the airwaves of Spanish-language media, more candidates have spoken out, separating into two camps.

Those who hope to appeal to Latino voters, including the two Floridians in the race, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, as well as former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, have criticized Trump.

On the other side, several candidates who hope to consolidate support among conservative voters suspicious of immigration, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have defended Trump or avoided comment. A significant chunk of GOP voters have said in recent polls that they support Trump...

More.