Free Republic

Even though Americans support immigration, they have been willing to accept tougher prescriptions for enforcement — and their willingness could test how far hard-liners can go in 2024 with anti-immigrant proposals. Democrats, like Republicans, have been joining the drumbeat that there is a "crisis" at the border as the numbers of people the Border Patrol says it encounters hit record levels. Amid all this, former President Donald Trump promises to expand on the hard-line immigration policies of his first term, setting off alarm bells among immigration advocates and even some Republican conservatives. Trump has escalated his language with declarations that...

As Americans prepared to fill their bellies with Thanksgiving bounty, Castro called for making the issue of hunger a national priority and laid out his plan on how he'd do it if elected president. In his proposal unveiled Wednesday, Castro calls for making lunch free for public school students, ensuring college students are eligible for food stamp benefits and increasing food stamp benefits for children during summer months.

Dripping Springs, Texas -- The economy is strong and Rickye Lennon's excavation business is thriving. Yet his son may soon go to war, government scandals are in the news, and Lennon, a Republican deep in the heart of Bush country, doesn't think his party should remain in charge of Congress. "I think we need a wake-up call," said Lennon, 50, of Dripping Springs. "They need to be paying attention to the issues the people are concerned about and I think we need to become more moderate in our views." Three weeks to the midterm elections, GOP discontent is seeping into...