Latina Lista: News from the Latinx perspective > Palabra Final > Immigration > Breaking News: Democratic Congressman Says Immigration Reform Won’t be Touched for 6 Years

Breaking News: Democratic Congressman Says Immigration Reform Won’t be Touched for 6 Years

LatinaLista — Just when we thought there was relief on the horizon for the thousands of families being traumatized by immigration sweeps and an uncertain future, there comes word that the Democrats don’t have any plans on addressing the issue until 2012.


In a story that published yesterday, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) was quoted as saying that because of the Republicans bad handling of the issue, Democrats won’t even attempt to go there until at least the second term of a Democratic president.

Rep. Rahm Emanuel
(Source: Washington Post)
On the one hand, I can certainly understand their position. Having watched the debates on C-Span, the Republican congressmen and women who were against resolving the issue made it an extremely difficult and unpleasant experience.
In the process, the fabrications and exaggerations that were repeated about the undocumented reached historic proportions and contributed to the nationwide sweep of anti-immigrant rhetoric and local ordinances targeting the undocumented.
But is waiting till 2012 the answer?
Obviously not.
In addition to constantly reminding our congresspersons that the issue needs to be resolved, there must be:
1. An organized effort to counter the lies and misrepresentations about the undocumented, immigrants and Latinos that are prevailing in the mainstream consciousness.
2. Every punitive law targeting the undocumented must be challenged in court.
3. There should be an international demand that the United States open their immigrant detention centers for outside inspection.
4. There should be a review of how children, who are detained for immigration violations, are handled.
5. Every time a Latino citizen is profiled/singled out by local law enforcement there should be documentation of the incident.
6. There should be an objection raised every time the word “terrorists” is implied to be associated with undocumented immigrants.
7. Though not all Latinos may use the power of the vote, all should use their voices to be heard. Write letters to the editor, create a blog, comment on blogs who oppose immigration reform, etc.
If there is any good news today, it is the fact that just a few hours ago a federal judge struck down Hazleton’s infamous anti-immigration law.

U.S. District Judge James Munley declared it unconstitutional Thursday and voided it based on evidence and testimony from a nine-day trial held in March.

It can either be a long six years or a short two years.
It’s time it was the people’s choice.

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Comment(6)

  • Robert Spain
    July 26, 2007 at 6:48 pm

    I would like to think that I have similar views to alot of the “evil” whitemen in the USA in that we feel for all the illegals that are here in America, we understand wanting to make a better life for themselves and their families, and the desire to get out of that craphole called Mexico. However, the hardworking images is being offset increasingly by the image that following the law of the land is not important to them. Also, if you go to a Western Union facility after payday, you see mucho money leaving the USA to foreign lands which indicates to many, no desire to be an American, to live the American dream, to raise a family here. No, just make as much money and send it somewhere else.
    The effort to change the language from “illegal” to “undocumented” is one that is ultimately doomed to failure in the way trying to change “quotas” into “set asides”. Americans tend to call a spade a spade. I would very much be behind getting all “undocumented workers” documented. But I have also been waiting over 3 months for my passport so documenting 12 million or more will be next to near impossible in the current world we live in. And as long as they are “undocumented”, the only power they have to march and disrupt and cause chaos, which will only harden the feelings of many to sending them back. The sad thing is, if all the “undocumented” workers were to be sent back to Mexico at once, there would be such a revolution in Mexico for the better that I would bet within a decade, Americans might be going to Mexico for work. Thank you.

  • Bill Bull
    July 26, 2007 at 7:44 pm

    Hopefully we can rid our country of these filthy Mexican parasites long before 2012. You can go with them.

  • Michael
    July 27, 2007 at 4:08 am

    Poor illegal immigrants.
    We should do to them what mexico does to trespassers on our borders.
    mexico is a dirty third world country next door to a super power. The people cant even irrigate water, what could they possibly do for America?!
    Dirty, uneducated race of peasants.

  • yave begnet
    July 27, 2007 at 11:53 pm

    Thank you, brave commenters, for gracing us with your insight and sophistication.
    I don’t know which I like less: longwinded and emptyheaded like comment #1 or short and vile like #2 and 3. If this is the best they can muster, I think they’re more a menace to themselves than to anyone else.
    And why the fixation with Mexico? There are, like, 193 other countries in the world. One of them sent 19 suicide hijackers to the eastern seaboard. It wasn’t Mexico.

  • Horace
    July 28, 2007 at 1:28 pm

    Spain is correct. No revolution ever took place by the insurrectionists abandoning their country. The only way to change Mexico is to put the cork in the steam kettle and keep it there until it blows. Viva La Revolution!

  • Doe
    November 10, 2007 at 10:52 am

    Good site! I’ll stay reading! Keep improving!

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6 Comments