Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere – Los Angeles
White House
President Obama Affirms Desire to Reform Immigration Next Session
01 year ago
Disappointed by Congress’s failure to pass the DREAM Act during lame duck, President Obama made remarks today regarding the need to reform immigration in the next Congress. While the President acknowledged that border security is part of that conversation, he also acknowledged that “changing the politics” of how Congress and his administration engage the public on immigration is equally important—as is “doing right” by the many DREAM students who deserve a fair shot at the American dream.
The President remarked:
So my hope and expectation is that, first of all, everybody understands I am determined and this administration is determined to get immigration reform done. It is the right thing to do … we need to reform this immigration system so we are a nation of laws and we are a nation of immigrants. And at minimum, we should be able to get the DREAM Act done.
And so I’m going to go back at it and I’m going to engage in Republicans who, I think, some of them, in their heart of hearts, know it’s the right thing to do, but they think the politics is tough for them.
Well, that may mean that we’ve got to change the politics … one thing I hope people have seen during this lame duck—I am persistent. I am persistent. If I believe in something strongly, I stay on it. And I believe strongly in this.
And I am happy to engage with the Republicans about — if they’ve got ideas about more on border security, I’m happy to have that conversation … But I also think about those kids. And I want to do right by them, and I think the country is going to want to do right by them, as well.
Building on a DREAM: What the Obama Administration Can Do Right Now to Fix Immigration
01 year ago
Last Saturday, the United States Senate took key votes on two social issues—Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the seventeen-year ban on gays serving openly in the military, and the DREAM Act, a vital piece of immigration reform that would have allowed thousands of undocumented young people a chance to go to college, serve in the military and earn legal status. Both bills had passed the House of Representatives, had the backing of the White House and the support of a majority of the public, but by a vote of 55 to 41, the Senate failed to invoke cloture and proceed to debate on the DREAM Act. While the Senate failed, however, the movement did not. Now, more than ever, the administration needs to capitalize on the momentum of the DREAM Act, continuing to push for both legislative and administrative reform.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson, in urging Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1965, clearly saw the consequences of inaction:
And we ought not, and we cannot, and we must not wait another eight months before we get a bill. We have already waited 100 years and more and the time for waiting is gone. So I ask you to join me in working long hours and nights and weekends, if necessary, to pass this bill. And I don’t make that request lightly, for, from the window where I sit, with the problems of our country, I recognize that from outside this chamber is the outraged conscience of a nation, the grave concern of many nations and the harsh judgment of history on our acts.
Congress and the President would be remiss to ignore this exhortation from the past. While there is time in the grand scheme of things for change, every day of waiting worsens the situation for immigrants without legal status. The continued degradation of our immigration system isn’t measured in procedural near misses in the House or Senate. It’s measured in lives short-changed, families separated, and dreams shattered. In the three years since DREAM last came to a vote in the Senate, we have witnessed more deportations annually than ever before, more criminal prosecutions of immigration violations, and more resources thrown at the border. We have seen anti-immigrant sentiment grow, seen Arizona and other state legislatures spin out of control with SB 1070 and other enforcement measures, and have seen former immigration champions lose the courage of their own convictions and fail to stand up against the anger and vitriol of a small but vocal minority of the population.
Those very disappointments and dangers, of course, have given birth to the new generation of activists who so brilliantly and bravely led the DREAM movement. Many of them are undocumented and risked deportation to fight for justice. Many more are immigrants or the children of immigrants who can’t fathom that their country would ever deport their friends and classmates, let alone view immigrants as some kind of enemy. And many more who came out in the last few weeks or months to support DREAM were not immigrants, but native born citizens who understand that DREAM offered a solution to better the lives of us all.
The evidence remains overwhelming that DREAMers would contribute to the economy, expand the tax base, and make use of their talents to serve the country’s military. Every year, more evidence emerges that the failure to reform our immigration system is a blow to our country and to the individuals are who are swallowed up in Congress’ political failure.
The battle for DREAM isn’t over, of course. We should expect to see its sponsors introduced DREAM 2012 in the next Congress. We should expect to see those in power who oppose the bill, particularly in the House, do all they can to block its passage. And we can definitely expect to see even more advocacy, reaching into every corner of the country.
But the urgency of the situation—with an estimated 65,000 undocumented students graduating annually from high school—cannot wait for the slow and plodding ways of Congress. Staving off disaster will require the Obama administration to take bolder and more affirmative steps than it has thus far been willing to do to mitigate the impact of this broken immigration system.
Over the next year, the Obama administration must take a page from its predecessors and use the numerous tools available to it—executive orders, administrative rule-making, prosecutorial discretion, policy directives, and good old common sense—to craft immigration policies that extract every last bit of justice and fairness out of the laws we currently have. The administration must also acknowledge that its increased enforcement efforts have not resulted in any bipartisan support for comprehensive immigration reform, but it has contributed to a drive towards deportation as the default immigration policy of this country and all of the harmful consequences that come with it.
No one should abandon the legislative process. If anything, there should be more legislation. The administration and those who support smart immigration reform should bombard Congress with new ideas—for comprehensive reform, for targeted employment reforms, for asylum and refugee reforms, for elimination of backlogs—you name it—on the theory that we must turn public support for immigration reform into concrete statements of action.
Layering on the legislation has another advantage, too. The more votes that people must take, the more they can be held accountable. Right now, too many members of Congress are afraid that the votes they take in favor of immigration are the ones that are hurting them. Given the reaction to Saturday’s DREAM vote, continued legislative campaigns will help ensure that this calculation changes. After all, ask the people who worked to abolish slavery, to gain women the vote, to create the civil rights laws of the 60s, or to end the ban on gays serving in the military—change is inevitable. The challenge for each of us in the New Year and the New Congress is to be part of the change we hope to see.
Photo by whitehouse.gov.
White House to Award Latino Civil Rights Advocate, Sylvia Mendez
01 year ago
Each year, the White House awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom—“the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Among the recipients for the 2011 Medal of Freedom is civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez, whose story of strength and perseverance in the face of discrimination and bigotry is a tale from which everyone can take heart—especially DREAM Act students who face an uphill battle this month.
The Mendezes came to the U.S. as immigrants, worked in the cotton fields and citrus groves, and eventually became small business owners. Then, in an amazing historical twist, leased a farm in Westminster, CA from the Minemitsu family—Japanese-Americans who were interned. Yet rather than being allowed to attend the “white” school closest to their farm, the Mendez children were told they must attend the “Mexican” school. The location of the Minemitsu farm placed the Mendez family within close proximity of the “White” school in Westminster, but the Mendez children—Sylvia, Gonzalo, Jr., and Geronimo—were denied enrollment and informed they must attend the Mexican school. Unwilling to accept such overt discrimination, the Mendez family and other parents eventually filed Mendez v. Westminster in federal court in 1945. With the help of good attorneys, as well as Latino, African American, and Asian civil rights organizations, the Mendezes successfully challenged the notion of “separate but equal.” Unlike other lawsuits of the era, the Mendez plaintiffs did not argue that their segregated schools were unconstitutionally inferior; instead they opposed segregation itself as violating the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection clause.
In his historic decision, Judge Paul McCormick concluded that “segregation fostered antagonisms in the children and suggests inferiority among them where none exists.”
Today, most Americans are familiar with the Brown v. Board of Education decision. However, the link between Mexican-Americans and African-Americans in the struggle for desegregation is not well known. The Mendez case and the relationship between the two cases is an important piece of U.S. history that deserves to be more widely acknowledged.
By awarding Ms. Mendez the Medal of Freedom, President Obama is taking an important step toward educating more Americans about this critical moment in U.S. history.
Photo by utexas.edu.
White House Continues Drumbeat for DREAM
01 year ago
Amidst the steady stream of action by DREAM Act supporters over the last few weeks—candlelight vigils, hunger strikes, Hill visits—the White House has also upped its game, turning out its political heavyweights to emphasize the importance of DREAM. This morning, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Dr. Clifford Stanley joined White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Cecilia Munoz, to discuss how passage of the DREAM Act would benefit military readiness. This marks yet another showing of support by the Obama Administration in recent weeks as Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano have all spoken publically on the benfits of DREAM. Although President Obama has always been a supporter of the bill, this heightened push is only the most recent evidence that immigration remains a priority for the White House—both on its merits and as a potent political symbol in 2012. The Senate is likely to vote on whether to invoke cloture on the DREAM Act tomorrow.
Today, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Dr. Clifford Stanley spoke to reporters about how the DREAM Act would expand the pool of eligible recruits:
Looking at military readiness, [the DREAM Act] is just common sense. There are 65,000 children out there, brought to the U.S. because parents brought them here. They are talented students and we need talented, smart and high quality recruits … If the DREAM Act passed, we’d expand the pool of eligibility to 50,000 – 65,000 people. This is an opportunity for people who could serve, smart people, and to do it honorably. To ignore the DREAM Act for those who had no choice coming here is to ignore the pool of highly qualified military applicants.
Note that the Department of Defense recommended the passage of the DREAM Act in their FY2010-12 Strategic Plan, calling it a “smart way” to “sustain quality assurance” when recruiting an all volunteer force.
Last month, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke out on the need for the U.S. to invest in education and keep talented students in the U.S.:
We have to educate ourselves to a better economy. All of us should be doing everything we can to increase educational opportunity, not deny it … For our young people, for our country, for our country’s economy, we desperately need to pass the DREAM Act.
Similarly, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke made the economic case for DREAM:
“The American taxpayer has invested in them, and unless we pass the DREAM Act, we will keep throwing away this hard-earned investment,” Locke told reporters on a conference call.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, also weighed in on the DREAM Act, remarking that its passage would aid immigration enforcement efforts:
By figuring out a solution for this category of young people, the DREAM Act will enable DHS to prioritize to an even greater extent the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws, including the laws against, for example, those associated with smuggling drugs and smuggling other human beings.
There is no question that DREAM activists and immigration advocates have gotten the backing and attention of the White House. While some may grumble that this should have been the posture all along, this intensive, full court press strategy has paid off for the White House in the past. Yet even with the weight of the White House and a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score that has DREAM reducing the deficit by $1.4 billion over ten years, Republican votes may be short. Speaking on the call with Under Secretary Stanely today, White House’s Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Munoz noted that seven Republicans have supported DREAM in the past and that the outcome of the Senate’s vote tomorrow will be dependent on the same number of Republicans.
Photo by afagen.
Why the DREAM Act Just Makes Sense
01 year ago
The pieces may just be starting to fall together for passage of the DREAM Act as more and more high profile figures lend their support with one simple message—the DREAM Act just makes sense. After ten long years, the House looks poised to take up DREAM next week. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has declared that the Democrats believe they have the necessary votes to pass the legislation—and passage in the House could go a long way to creating the momentum needed for 60 votes in the Senate. The most obvious signal that DREAM might actually pass, however, is the increasingly desperate tone of anti-immigration groups, who are basically urging the public to call Congress and say that DREAM allows undocumented students to steal college slots, public benefits and jobs from Americans. Not only is this the same argument they trot out for every immigration issue, but it has been contradicted by so many sources that it sounds like an increasingly shrill cry of desperation.
Despite the growing momentum, no one should think they can sit back and wait for a vote to happen. That’s why this week has seen such a huge escalation of high profile public statements, press conferences and other gatherings. With time running out for the 111th Congress, the White House, in particular, has thrown its weight behind DREAM with daily events including presentations by Cabinet Members, Napolitano, Solis, Duncan and Locke. The Pentagon has been out there too as have plenty of other groups—university presidents, Republican and Democratic Leaders, economists, students, educators, faith leaders, and advocates—all touting the moral, economic and military benefits of the DREAM Act to the U.S.
Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report scoring the latest version of the DREAM Act (S. 3992)—as introduced on November 30, 2010—and found that it “would reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2020 period.” Other economic studies come to similar conclusions—putting talented undocumented students on a path toward legal status will not only keep the best and the brightest in the country, but provide a boon to our economy, universities and workforce.
In addition to White House support, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Napolitano spoke out yesterday noting that the DREAM Act would ‘strengthen the economy and it’s military and allow DHS to focus its enforcement resources on removing “dangerous criminal aliens” from the country.’ Even the Department of Defense recommended the passage of the DREAM Act in their FY2010-12 Strategic Plan, calling it a “smart way” to “sustain quality assurance” when recruiting an all volunteer force.
Conservative voices have also publically supported the DREAM Act. Back in September, former Secretary of State and retired General, Colin Powell, went on Meet the Press to make an economic case for the DREAM Act and to urge Republicans to stop throwing progressive legislation under the bus in the name of politics. Other conservatives—like Senator Lugar (R-IN) (who introduced DREAM three times in the Senate), Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Former Illinois Republican Governor Jim Edgar and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez—have all pledged support for DREAM.
Critics, meanwhile, are busy spinning myths and misinformation, falsely labeling the DREAM Act as “amnesty” and claiming the DREAM Act allows undocumented students to pay cheaper tuition than citizens. Even more upsetting, however, are congressional leaders who paint potential DREAM students as criminals and gang members or pit DREAM students against U.S. citizen children. In fact, these DREAM students—who sit side by side with U.S. citizen students—are often at the top of their class. According to UCLA Chancellor Dr. Gene Block:
All of us [educators] recognize what a resource these students are for the U.S. They will be leaders in their community one day. It’s critical for all of us who work with these students to speak up. Faculties who work with undocumented youth in both rural and urban universities are finding the same thing—they’re all highly motivated and talented individuals.
So as momentum on the ground continues to grow in support of the DREAM Act—and the restrictionists’ narrative weakens—lawmakers have their work cut out of them. Looking ahead to next week, it appears likely that the House will take the first crack at passing DREAM. Some had hoped the vote would happen this week, but pressing business made it impractical to take a vote before House Members left for the weekend. And given how much sense the DREAM Act makes, it is likely they will hear from their constituents that the time to act is now.
Photo by Shreyans Bhansali.
President Obama Throws White House Support Behind DREAM Act
01 year ago
Today, President Obama met with Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) members, chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) to discuss movement of the DREAM Act. In a lead up to the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced plans earlier this week to bring the DREAM Act to a vote, attaching the measure to the Defense Authorization bill to be voted on next week. While GOP opposition to this bipartisan immigration amendment remains high, President Obama pledged his support at an event last night, despite previous concerns that passing the DREAM Act will detract from a larger immigration overhaul.
Participants in today’s White House meeting relayed that the President pledged his full commitment to help move the DREAM Act. According to Politico44:
After meeting with President Obama, Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) told reporters that she urged him to work with the Senate to pass the DREAM Act on immigration.
“The president committed to talk to senators,” she said. “We will encourage the community at large to help us, because next week is going to be a crucial week.” Echoing Obama, she called for an “up or down vote.”
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) added that Obama made it clear that he would “leave no stone unturned.” He said they asked Obama to use the “full weight, the full might of the White House.”
“Let’s have a victory next week,” Gutierrez said.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) advocated for the defense authorization bill, in which the DREAM Act is contained. “I trust that Republicans will join us,” he said, noting that the issue has been bipartisan in the past. “A clean vote without amendments to it.”
At a CHC gala last night, President Obama attempted to quell frustrations over the lack of movement on immigration reform by vowing that he “will not walk away from this fight” and that he remains committed to “getting this done as soon as we can.” Most notably, however, the President lifted up the DREAM Act amendment in his speech—notable, that is, given his previous concerns that passing only part of an immigration reform bill (DREAM) will detract from the momentum of a larger overhaul effort. In his remarks, President Obama said:
Now, the Senate is going to have a chance to do the right thing over the next few weeks when Senator Reid brings the DREAM Act to the floor. Keep in mind, in the past, this was a bill that was supported by a majority of Democrats and Republicans. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t receive that same kind of bipartisan support today. I’ve been a supporter since I was in the Senate, and I will do whatever it takes to support the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ efforts to pass this bill so that I can sign it into law on behalf of students seeking a college education and those who wish to serve in our country’s uniform. It’s the right thing to do. We should get it done.
Although the President has pledged his support for the DREAM Act, mounting GOP opposition will make it increasingly difficult for Sen. Harry Reid to find the 60 votes necessary for cloture on the amendment next week, assuming the Defense Authorization bill makes it through round one, the motion to proceed, next Tuesday.
Photo by robonline.
Watch the President’s speech:
How President Obama Can Kiss and Make Up with Latinos
01 year ago
In Spanish, the word cariño literally means “affectionate.” Cariño is used to describe warmth and care, but it is also often used as a pet name for your child or partner, for example, mi cariño/mi cariña. So in the Latino community where the word cariño is an important part of the vernacular, some might be surprised that Latinos have so warmly embraced a “cool and detached” President like Obama. This has been in large part due to his commitment to fixing immigration. However, the President’s recent lack of cariño towards the Latino community coupled with his inability to deliver on immigration reform has both his approval numbers dropping among Latinos and Spanish language media critics asking “Who’s in charge in Washington?” Also, his once masterful speeches are now being called nothing more than “cheap and easy rhetoric.”
Today, a story in Politico reveals this turning tide against President Obama in the Spanish language media. The article quotes several leading Latino journalists who are voicing their frustration with the President’s failure to deliver on his promises of reform. Most notably, Jorge Ramos, the “most trusted man in the Hispanic media,” says Obama has a “serious credibility problem.” He adds “so many Latinos feel there is a lack of leadership, and he is not fighting for immigration reform with the same intensity that he fought for health care reform.”
So what can Obama do to show the Latino Community some cariño? Well, he could start with an hour-long prime-time special with Jorge Ramos to explain, in all frankness, what stumbling blocks he has faced in terms of getting immigration reform to the finish line. He could also explain how much he needs Congress’ partnership and how Ramos’ viewers need to get involved in order to make it a reality. While the President has been on Barbara Walter’s prime time show The View, he might also try a sit-down on The Cristina Show—Spanish-language television’s equivalent to Oprah.
In addition to media appearances, the President can rebuild bridges through administrative action. He can start by making sure that the $600 million dollars in border enforcement money that Congress will send to his desk this week is spent responsibly. In fact, he can use the $600 million legislation signing as the beginning of his real campaign to make comprehensive immigration reform a reality. He can also continue to direct DHS to do everything in its power under the law to minimize the impact of our broken immigration system on families and undocumented youth and put some real White House muscle behind the DREAM Act.
Perhaps from the President’s perspective, he feels he has done a lot to show his commitment to immigration reform. He has dedicated time and energy to the issue, has plenty of staff at work on immigration, made a thoughtful speech at American University and placed phone calls to potential Republican supporters. However, Latinos have yet to see the kind of enthusiasm and full-speed-ahead approach to immigration that the President lent to healthcare reform. Where is the immigration summit where all stakeholders are present and ready to commit to working together? How about dedicating more than 37 words to immigration in the next state of the union address? Where is the Rahm Emanuel-style locker room arm-twisting on immigration that has been so effectively used to win passage of other bills? Jorge Ramos has made it pretty clear that the Latino community has come through for the President, but now, he needs to show the Latino community some true leadership and cariño in return.
Photo by cjdavis.
President Obama Urges Republicans to Help Bridge Bipartisan Divide on Immigration
01 year ago
Today, President Obama delivered his first major immigration speech at American University urging Republicans to put bipartisan and election politics aside and help Democrats fix our broken immigration system once and for all. With an audience of law enforcement, elected officials, and evangelical, business, labor, and community leaders, the President provided a framework for understanding the depth and complexity of the immigration issue—laying out the fundamental problems with our immigration system while highlighting the critical role immigrants have and continue to play in strengthening America. The President then asked Republican leadership to join his Administration’s efforts to step up, take responsibility and pass an immigration reform bill.
In today’s speech, the President made it clear that this Administration is ready to move forward. Action is needed, but he needs Republicans support.
Our task then is to make our national laws actually work – to shape a system that reflects our values as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. And that means being honest about the problem, and getting past the false debates that divide the country rather than bring it together.
The question now is whether we will have the courage and the political will to pass a bill through Congress, to finally get it done… I’m ready to move forward; the majority of Democrats are ready to move forward; and I believe the majority of Americans are ready to move forward. But the fact is, without bipartisan support, as we had just a few years ago, we cannot solve this problem. Reform that brings accountability to our immigration system cannot pass without Republican votes. That is the political and mathematical reality. The only way to reduce the risk that this effort will again falter because of politics is if members of both parties are willing to take responsibility for solving this problem once and for all.
I believe we can put politics aside and finally have an immigration system that’s accountable. I believe we can appeal not to people’s fears but to their hopes, to their highest ideals, because that’s who we are as Americans.
Today’s speech follows back to back White House meetings this week with immigration advocates, faith groups, labor leaders and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The speech also follows the President’s request for $600 million in additional border security spending to fund 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents, 160 additional ICE agents, and improved infrastructure along the Southwest Border. Although the President mentioned Arizona’s harsh immigration law, he did not comment on Department of Justice’s forthcoming legal challenge. The President did, however, reiterate that fixing the border alone is not a long term solution to our immigration problems.
Although today’s speech contained no new policy initiatives or a congressional timetable for reform, the President certainly made the case for why immigration is such an important issue. Now that the stage is set for a renewed and heightened reform effort, immigration advocates are waiting for the President to turn his words into action and show the same leadership moving immigration reform legislation forward that he showed today.
Photo by Peter Souza.
Deporting America’s Future: Harvard Student Pushes for DREAM Act
01 year ago
Harvard sophomore, Eric Balderas, knows why the DREAM Act is important to so many. Earlier this month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) picked up Balderas in Boston on his way to visit his mother in San Antonio, Texas. Balderas now faces the possibility of deportation at a hearing next month. The 19 year old biology major was valedictorian of his high school class and is on a full scholarship at Harvard. Sadly, Balderas is just one of roughly 1.5 million unauthorized immigrant children—many of whom don’t speak Spanish and consider themselves American—currently living in the U.S. who are at risk for deportation. How many of America’s talented youth must the U.S. deport before Congress musters the courage to act?
If passed, the DREAM Act would allow qualified young people—who were brought to the U.S. without documentation—to adjust their status to “conditional permanent resident” given he/she meets the requirements. Balderas, who came to the U.S. illegally when he was four, is a perfect candidate for the DREAM Act—he entered the U.S. before the age of 16, earned a high school diploma, is a person of good moral character and has no criminal record.
Eric’s case prompted Harvard President, Drew Faust, to issue this statement:
[The DREAM Act provides] a lifeline to these students who are already working hard in our middle and high schools and living in our communities by granting them the temporary legal status that would allow them to pursue postsecondary education.
In the first years of enactment, the DREAM Act would help approximately 360,000 qualified high-school graduates to receive conditional residency. Over the next 13 years, the bill would also provide incentives for another 715,000 youngsters (an average of 55,000 a year) currently between the ages of 5 and 17 to finish high school and pursue post-secondary education.
According to Harvard’s vice president of public affairs and communications, Christine Heenan:
Eric Balderas has already demonstrated the discipline and work ethic required for rigorous university work, and has, like so many of our undergraduates, expressed an interest in making a difference in the world.
These dedicated young people are vital to our nation’s future, and President Faust’s support of the DREAM Act reflects Harvard’s commitment to access and opportunity for students like Eric.
To date, the DREAM Act has 38 cosponsors in the Senate and 123 in the House, with bipartisan support in both. Sponsorship of the bill, however, does not guarantee its movement or passage. (Recall that the DREAM Act failed in a cloture vote in 2007.) Although a group of undocumented college students—along with Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Lugar (R-IN)—have urged the White House and DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to halt the deportation of eligible DREAM Act students in the absence of a larger immigration overhaul, their efforts seem to have fallen on deaf ears. The question, however, remains—why would the U.S. want to deport talented students, educated in the U.S., who are clearly economic and social assets to this country?
1,200 National Guard Troops to the Border: A Bargaining Chip or More Political Pandering?
01 year ago
Yesterday, President Obama met with Senate Republicans to discuss, among other things, moving forward with comprehensive immigration reform. But what came out of the meeting was a letter to Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, requesting 1,200 troops to be sent to the U.S.-Mexican border and a $500 million request for additional border personnel and technology as part of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill. While the President’s intentions to address the real sources of violence and crime along the border—that is, drug cartels and gun traffickers, not immigrants—is duly noted, the President is being perceived as piling enforcement on enforcement and pandering to Republicans with no real forward movement on reform.
Following the meeting, President Obama was widely criticized from all sides. Immigration advocates and Senate Democrats were quick to jump on the President for kowtowing to Republicans without getting much in return while border-frenzied Republicans and restrictionists remarked that the President wasn’t doing enough.
According to Frank Sharry of America’s Voice, President Obama is letting Republicans control the conversation:
Giving in … on immigration sure has the same feel as when the administration caved and excluded unauthorized immigrants from the health care exchange following Rep. Joe Wilson’s [R-S.C.] rude outburst last year. It has the feel of the president’s recent embrace of offshore drilling, just weeks before the BP disaster struck … Give them what they want and hope they’ll play nice.
Similarly, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) criticized the “Obama administration’s militarization of the border” as “submission to the political forces brought by the Republican Party.”
Meanwhile, Senator John McCain (whose recent 180 on immigration reform is chalked up to his senate battle with restrictionist J.D. Hayworth) complained that 1,200 troops were “simply not enough. We need 6,000.” In 2006, President Bush sent 6,000 National Guard members to the border to “step up security while the Border Patrol expanded its ranks,” but they were later withdrawn.
While President Obama acknowledged that an immigration overhaul is needed to fully address border issues, there wasn’t any movement on the reform front. Enforcement alone has never been a solution to our immigration problems. Throwing more money at the problem as the sole means of solving it is not only fiscally irresponsible, but also ineffective. Over the last two decades, the United States has spent billions of dollars on border enforcement while the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has roughly tripled from 1990 to 2008, from 3.5 million to 11.9 million.
So, if the President is using border enforcement as a bargaining chip for reform, just what exactly is he getting in return? Without a solid push from the White House or Republican sign-on, the President seems to be sending the message that “borders first” is his number one immigration priority. After years of failed “borders first” strategies, many Americans—especially Latino voters—are wondering just when the federal government is going to take that crucial second step.
Photo by The National Guard.
