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PDF versionObama needs to act on immigration reform now
by Mario T. García on May. 16, 2011
Earlier this week, President Obama was in my hometown of El Paso, Texas, to address the issue of comprehensive immigration reform.
He had promised such reform during his presidential campaign in 2008 but never introduced such legislation during his first two years when the Democrats strongly controlled both houses of Congress and chances for such legislation looked promising.
However, the President placed his political capital on legislation to recharge the economy and especially on health care that passed. Immigration reform was put aside.
Now, addressing this issue is more difficult since the Republicans control the House of Representatives and the Democratic majority in the Senate has declined. President Obama’s speech in El Paso was undoubtedly to remind especially Latino voters that he has not forgotten his promise.
Close to 70 percent of Latinos voted for the President in 2008 and he will need every one or close to every one of those votes to possibly win again, especially in key-contested states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico and Nevada.
Florida is clearly the big prize. Yet Latinos have become more critical of President Obama because of the failure to push immigration reform. U.S.-born Latino and naturalized Latino voters will not be directly affected by such legislation but immigration reform has symbolically come to represent respect for Latinos and their recognition as fully accepted Americans.
This has especially become critical due to the ugly rise of recent nativist or anti-immigrant movements in the country, such as in Arizona, where such movement seems to embody not only anti-immigrant views but also anti-Latino ones. Non-immigrant Latinos by strong majorities support immigration reform as a way of vindicating their legitimate positions as U.S. citizens.
But putting aside presidential politics, what can realistically be done now? There is no way that comprehensive immigration reform is going to be passed in the next year.
However, President Obama should put the Republicans on record of not supporting such reform by still introducing such legislation as the Dream Act that will provide a quick and clear path to legalization for the undocumented children of undocumented immigrants who, through no fault of their own, were brought into the country without papers when they were babies or young children. They have grown up in this country and for all practical purposes are American citizens.
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Second, the President, as called for by a May 12 Los Angeles Times editorial, needs to revisit his current policy of increasing the expulsion of undocumented immigrants who have committed certain crimes. While no one supports undocumented felons, the truth is that many others who have only committed misdemeanors are being apprehended and deported, having to leave their families behind. This is not right and not moral. The President needs to pursue a more nuanced strategy that especially will not split families who are here working to provide enough to survive.
I agree with the Los Angeles Times that now is the time for not just talk by the President, but action.
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"While no one supports
"While no one supports undocumented felons, the truth is that many others who have only committed misdemeanors are being apprehended and deported, having to leave their families behind. This is not right and not moral."
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It is NOT "right or moral" to have children one cannot afford to support, but illegal aliens regularly do that, and expect others to support them. It is not "right or moral" to leave families behind while one comes to this country illegally in search of a "better life" but illegal aliens do that, too. And it not right or moral to believe that one should not be held responsible for the consequences of one's actions, but illegal aliens believe that. It is not "right or moral" to make one's first act in another country to break its laws, and then to make the second and subsequent acts breaking other laws--and to then claim that you are entitled to do so because of your particular ethnicity.
I completely agree! Great
I completely agree! Great article! I am a 32/white male Republican from South Texas. I admit our party is failing the country on the issue of immigration. I have first hand seen how so many immigrants legal or illegal have contributed to society. It is a shame so many people are delusional to the fact that they do not understand if somehow we could deport 12 million it would make the economy crash by costing us in taxes and all those jobs would be gone in one false swoop! PASS IMMIGRATION REFORM!
I am a white legal immigratn
I am a white legal immigratn originally from France and a life-long moderate Democrat. I came here when I was 22 and became a citizen through the regular process. I don't think that there is any clarity at all about what " comprehensive immigration reform" means. To my mind, there are many issues that are linked. What do we do with the 12 million of undocumented workers who did break the law to come here, who did not pay taxes on their incomes as the rest of us do? Their children go to our schools and while innocent of the transgressions of their parents, this does burden our system here in California. The adults go to the emergency rooms of our hospitals who have to take them and while this is the humane thing to do , it costs money!
The other issue is, how do we prevent more undocumented workers from coming to this country in order not to have to pass another amnesty for the next 12 million in 15 years from now? How do we deal with families where the mother is a citizen and the father is undocumented or the other way around? I know personally of many such families as here in CA we all use these hard working folks and they are all around us. This is a hugely complicated issue and requires thoughtful thinking as well as economic and political foresight. I haven't heard anyone coming up with a clever solution. The " path to citizenship" that Senator Mc Cain once suggested is probably the right path, but it resolves only one part of the issue. Any thoughts anywhere?
It is my understanding that
It is my understanding that right now, at this very moment, President Obama could stop the raids and the deportations with an executive order. If this is true, and I believe it is, then why doesn't he just do it! Then we can take a look at comprehensive reform carefully and deliberately; while ICE employees work on green card backlogs.
I see daily the contributions
I see daily the contributions that immigrants make to our country.
With 12 or 13 million illegal
With 12 or 13 million illegal aliens in the US and 9% unemployment, we should be talking about the best way to get these immigrants out of here, not talking about a path to citizenship. We tried amnesty before when there were 4 or 5 million illegals. The problem is now 3 or 4 times worse. When you legitimize them, you just invite in another wave and the problem is much worse. The US does not have a responsibility to provide a home for every unhappy Latino south of our borders. Obama is just groveling for Latino votes. Why can't these illegals clean up their native countries and live productive lives? We do NOT owe them social services or a path to citizenship.
dude all Florida, Texas and
dude
all Florida, Texas and points west through California were once all Latin American
just folks coming home, and in many cases, who never left home
we anglos are the squatters upon their ancestral lands, the aliens . . .
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