Whatever Happened to Immigration?

Remember when immigration was the big issue? It was not that long ago. Senator McCain -- the other guy, not the guy running for President -- worked hard to build a compromise that would allow illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, but the Torture Party's right wing wouldn't have anything to do with it. It died.

Well, somebody is still talking about immigration: Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. Yeah, you read that right: Montana. Schweitzer is definitely one of the up and coming in the Democratic Party. This will give you a flavor of why:

[Gov. Schweitzer] noted that various anti-immigration movements have come and gone in American history - anti-Asian, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-Eastern European and now, anti-Hispanic.

He talked of anti-Irish sentiment that pervaded the country in the early 20th century. Despite that, a poor girl in Ireland applied for a passport. She was lucky. About one in 10 who applied were successful.

Just as she was about to leave, a young man proposed marriage, so she stayed in County Cork. In her place, her 17-year-old sister, Hannah Friel, took over the passport and entered Ellis Island illegally.

"They looked at her passport, saw she had red hair and freckles, so they let her in," Schweitzer said.

Friel nearly starved after arriving in New York in 1909. An Irish family took her in. Then she heard about a free train ride to Montana, where she could acquire 320 acres of land to homestead. So she went on her own to the Big Sky. She settled, later married and raised five children.

"To the folks in Washington, D.C., who are anti-immigration and are telling Hispanics here illegally to go back home, I say, 'You would have sent the governor of Montana's grandmother back to County Cork, Ireland," Schweitzer said.

Schweitzer offered strong language to those who advocate such a policy.

"I say, 'Hey, big shot. Who the hell do you think you are? What about you? Unless you're Blackfoot or Crow, your people got off a boat somewhere."