AFTER THE SHADOWY BUSH YEARS, the emergence of reasonable policy can be a little surprising. Immigration law has suffered from a lack of planning and is often influenced by fear rooted in the Sept. 11 attacks. But the national dialogue on immigration has begun to grow healthier.
IT IS A SAD IRONY that a President who wants to unite opposing factions presides over an increasingly entrenched and partisan political landscape. There seems to be no satisfactory compromise for both the health care and immigration reform debates. The situation is tragic because the people’s needs are made secondary to an unending war between two political entities.
AS THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE GROWS increasingly tense and intertwined with economic worries, cultural anxiety, and deep-seated racism and xenophobia, it is important to be clear about what’s at stake. This debate is about our humanity. This “issue,” simply put, is about choosing to take advantage of the vulnerable, or conversely, our refusing to exploit the weak.
STALLED OR PROMISED, the immigration debate is nonetheless rushing forward on its own timetable. Lacking a structured frame to guide it, an entropic momentum builds. Or as Rev. Luis Cortés, Jr., of Esperanza USA said during a call with media members yesterday, Democrats and Republicans are “running toward the harshest positions to show they can be the hardest on those who are the weakest.”
ON ALL FRONTS, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION VEERS away from making any meaningful or cohesive change for the undocumented community. Just last night in his speech for health care reform he made sure the people of the US know that the health of millions of people in our country is not worth consideration. And in many other ways, the US Government sends the message that this is one group the USA can safely think of as the unwelcome and unworthy Other.
WHAT DO WE DO when those who represent our causes or are elected to take action on our issues abdicate their duty? What do Latino/as do now, as immigration reform is stalled except for increasing punitive measure that serve no purpose but to further and deepen the Enforcement Agenda? We take it into our own hands.
SENATOR TED KENNEDY’S DEATH yesterday was a blow to the immigrant community. For over 40 years, Kennedy was a fighter for immigrant rights and is remembered for many valuable contributions that moved the nation closer toward humane treatment of new Americans. His loss is made all the more stark by current White House capitulations toward enforcement and abdication of a similar fighting spirit.
PRESIDENT OBAMA cites the Healthcare debate as a reason for postponing immigration reform until 2010. In the interim, the White House is laying the groundwork for an enforcement agenda by expanding programs such as 287(g), Secure Communities and e-Verify, amidst a growing matrix of detention centers.
THE NUMBER OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS coming into the U.S. is plunging, and yet, the White House is still ramping up harsh detainment measures like 287(g), which is already linked to abusive practices that harm the Latino community. Is the White House so sure of a stable Latino approval rating that it believes public statements will offset our awareness of this injustice?
NOBODY SAID BECOMING A POST-RACIAL NATION WOULD BE EASY. The United States has its first black president, but as the son of a Kenyan immigrant, his citizenship and legitimacy are still being questioned. In the meantime, the White House, itself, is advancing programs which have been linked to racial profiling and civil rights violations.
IN THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH it was common to hear the phrase “melting pot.” It was said that our nation’s greatest strength could be found in its multitude of cultures, languages and histories. This sentiment has been lost, as right-wing pundits and politicians increasingly espouse a dread of anything different and a fear of the Other. Yet, it remains true.
ON TUESDAY, relations between the U.S. and Cuba thawed a bit more. Discussions for implementing U.S.-Cuba Migration accord resumed after a six year stall. This move is another positive mark for diplomatic progress between the two countries.
THE IMMIGRATION DISCUSSION is sometimes reduced to symbols or a war of “sides,” be it on blogs, comment threads, or conference calls between legislators, media outlets, and activists. But it’s important to remember what this fight is about: People.
LAW INDICATES HUMANKIND’S ATTEMPT TO BE JUST; it is an extension of a civilization’s morality. Immigration reform must come soon; it is a moral duty. It must pass not just for the benefit of the undocumented community, but to decisively stave off a destructive energy made possible by the lack of humane law.
ONCE UPON A TIME, Barack Obama told the nation that we could not afford to approach immigration piecemeal and that his administration would tackle the issue in 2009. The surety of this sentiment has since trickled down into distillations fraught with equivocation. This week’s Wire looks at the growing polarization between advocates and foes of immigration reform.
House of Nezua
the XOLAGRAFIK theater!
