Immigration drives Huckabee completely over the edge

I remember the good ol’ days, sometimes called “2005,” when Mike Huckabee was fairly reasonable on immigration. He supported in-state college tuition for children of illegal immigrants and opposed an immigration raid of a poultry plant that led to the deportation of illegal immigrants. More recently, he endorsed Bush’s immigration policy, denounced in right-wing circles as “amnesty.” Huckabee insisted that he supports measures that “provide[s] a path for workers to become legal,” and denounced conservative critics of immigration reform, condemning them for being “driven by racism or nativism.” He even declined to have state police enforce immigration laws, despite the go-ahead from Arkansas lawmakers.

When he addressed the issue, he’d talk about “compassion” and “morality.” Huckabee saw an ugly side of his party when it came to immigration, and he didn’t like it. He made no effort to hide his belief that immigrations, legal or not, contributed to the U.S. economy, and saw little reason to change.

That is, until he gained a legitimate shot at the Republican presidential nomination. A month ago, he “released a new plan calling for all illegal workers to register with federal authorities and return to their native countries within 120 days.” This week, it gets worse — much worse.

Read on.