President Obama’s executive actions on immigration threw gasoline on the fire of border politics — and nowhere is it burning hotter than in Nevada, where incoming Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is gearing up for a tough reelection.
Obama chose the Silver State, which has proportionately more illegal immigrants than anywhere else in the country, to begin a tour aimed at winning support for his decision to stop deportations for as many as 5 million people.
His first shout-out in a Friday speech at a heavily Hispanic Las Vegas high school went to Reid, who has been emphasizing his support for immigration reform in general and the president’s decision in particular, while at the same time eying a potential challenge from popular Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R).