LatinaLista — Editor’s Note: In association with New America Media, a national association of ethnic media, the following post was published by ethnic media across the country this week to bring attention to the urgency of immigration reform.
The White House and members of Congress must move quickly on enacting a just and humane immigration reform package that will reunite families, reinvigorate the economy, and remove the term “illegal or undocumented immigrants” from the dialogue in this country.
Ethnic media, which reaches over 60 million adults in the United States, calls on Congress to move decisively on immigration reform because there are few issues as important to the nation’s well-being as an overhaul of the inefficient, inhumane and economically debilitating immigration system.
More importantly, we are also urging our readers and viewers to contact their Senators and Congressmen and let them know that immigration reform must be a national priority.
The immigration system is broken not just for 12 million undocumented immigrants, but also for specialized workers blocked from joining the American economy because of narrow quotas, and mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens who must wait for years before being reunited with their families.
Our nation needs comprehensive immigration policies that will replace a broken system of raids and roundups with one that protects all workers from exploitation, improves America’s security and builds strong communities.
It’s time to end the division between workers, which has allowed big business to exploit both sides. Clearly, working-class citizens and immigrant workers have much in common – dreams of better homes, education for their families and quality healthcare.
There is more that brings us together, than separates us. United we can be a strong force for change, changes that bring more workforce safety and humane conditions.
Immigration is often portrayed as an explosive, divisive issue. In reality it’s not.
Since the repeal of the national origins quota system in 1965, which discriminated against certain immigrants, a consensus has been building towards an immigration system that respects the country’s core values.
These include economic opportunity, equality under the law regardless of ethnic background, and an embrace of the world’s most innovative, energetic and ambitious workers.
Now, with the country facing serious competition from workers abroad, it’s more important than ever to create a world-class immigration system. It’s for the good of families, good for communities and good for America.
Comment(3)
MaryElizabeth
It is time to bring on Sensible Common Sense Immigration Reform. “Obama is not enough!” he needs us to push him. When FDR was president he didn’t push all the wonderful things he accomplished forward just because he wanted to….there was a movement behind him…there was alot of pressure and protests. Obama said that we elected him to take office but he couldn’t do it by himself it is our grass roots effort that put him there and it is our “grass roots” effort that will be needed to push Sensible Immigration Reform forward. “Obama is not Enough” he needs our mobilization “our grass roots movement” to give him a push and bring this issue to the plate.
Dick
“Obama is not Enough” he needs our mobilization “our grass roots movement” to give him a push and bring this issue to the plate.
Your grass roots movement consists of a large number of organizations with big mouths and tiny memberships. Most Latinos oppose illegal immigration, they just don’t express their views, so you can’t even count on that group as the nucleus of your grass roots. Illegal alien supporters point to polls that say that 62 percent of Americans support CIR, but if that were true, CIR would already have been passed by Congress at this point. The truth is just the opposite; your opposition grows every day, and the American people aren’t hearing any cogent argument for CIR, only sop from obviously biased ethnocentrics. The truth is that there is no grass roots movement within the general populace of this country. The fact is that grass roots America are fed up of pushing one for English for accessing services over the telephone and tired of foreigners disrespecting our immigration laws.
Liquidmicro
2010 midterm elections might cut into the Democratic majority in Congress, and then the chance for immigration reform could slip away.
The flaw with such reasoning is that it assumes Republicans are the main obstacle to reform, and that, conversely, Democrats must be the main facilitators. Yet Republicans are under a lot of pressure from business groups to fix the immigration system so companies can more easily hire workers. As for Democrats, they were the ones carrying the ball in 2007, the last time Congress fumbled the chance at reform.
In fact, in this go-round, it is the Democrats — specifically, Blue Dog Democrats — whom Obama has to worry about most. An estimated 40 House Democrats are thought to be either too conservative to support a pathway for illegal immigrants to become legal, or at risk of losing their seats if they vote for such a measure.
But the problem stretches back to why Democrats had trouble passing reform two years ago. You see, the Democratic Party is beholden to organized labor, which supports immigration reform but with an important caveat. While it has no problem with legalizing workers it hopes will become card-carrying, dues-paying union members, it continues to resist the idea of allowing businesses — as part of the bargain — to bring into the United States hundreds of thousands of temporary foreign workers.
Guest workers: In 2007, Democrats were caught in a tough spot between trying to please Hispanic voters who wanted immigration reform and unions willing to kill the deal if they couldn’t manage to remove the language on guest workers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/03/AR2009070301736.html
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