Editorial:
The issue of immigration has long been a festering issue that has polarized the country for years. While there has been much talk about the issue of immigration little has been done to address the issue. During the eight years of the Bush administration, draconian anit-immigrations measures were highlighted by the 800 mile fence along the southern border.
This week Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced a landmark immigration reform bill that is the first step in what will be a long laborious process to overhaul immigration legislation. Gutierrez along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Asian & Pacific Caucus and 87 sponsors of the bill introduced the 700 page document, this past Tuesday, after months of discussions with community organizations, unions and other groups around the country. Strong efforts to include multiple leaders and organizations across the country were made in hope of gaining enought momentum to get the reforms passed.
While the number and diversity of sponsors on this bill is impressive and important, what is most telling is the noticeable silence on this bill from President Barack Obama, and the tentative support of House Speaker Nancy Polosi who has taken a wait and see attitude on the bill. Without the full support of the White House, this bill is DOA (dead on arrival). Further, there has been a lack of national coverage, referred to by the major media as merely the opening salvo on the immigration debate.
The problem with the Gutierrez bill is that it is pro-immigrant and makes too much sense. President Obama and Speaker Polosi are waiting for Senator Charles Schumer’s version of the bill to come out. Schumer’s bill will be geared toward greater border enforcement with an emphasis of stopping immigration. This in itself speaks volumes about where President Obama is on immigration and puts into question the overwhelming Hispanic support for the President.
A few highlights of the Gutierrez bill are:
– It suspends Operation Streamline, a program that files criminal charges against all border-crossers;
– It strengthens protection during enforcement activities, by making such activities subject to court review, allowing legal access and other services to detained immigrants, and repealing the 287(g) program, making the federal government the only enforcer of federal immigration law;
– It makes a number of proposals to reduce the massive backlog in family and employment visa issuance (itself the primary source of “illegal” immigration in the country), leaning toward making more visas available to skilled workers who ought to be welcome in the U.S;
– It makes a number of provisions to strengthen family unity, by allowing judges greater discretion in removal proceedings, for instance when a U.S. citizen child is involved;
– It restores federal jurisdiction of immigration decisions and practices, thereby restoring the historic role that federal courts have long played in checking federal agency conduct;
– It improves detention conditions, by preserving family unity, avoiding unnecessary separations, and ensuring humane treatment of detainees;
– It prohibits the creation of a national ID card in the proposed employment verification system;
As noted in the opening salvo this is going to be a long debate about a contentious issue. Discussions of immigration reform seems to bring out the worst in people as they bash immigrants and Hispanics in general. But the bigger question is: what are the sense and sensibilities of President Obama when it comes to immigrants and Hispanics? Obama’s leadership, more than anything else, will determine what kind of immigration legislation and policies will come to fruition. Hispanics need to watch this issue carefully to determine whether or not our new presdient desrves the support of the Hispanic community that he has enjoyed up to this point.