DREAM Act Portal Forum - Hispanic Tea Party clarifies DREAM Act position

A flurry of criticism from his national counterparts pushed Rev. Armando Vera, founder of the nation’s first Hispanic Tea Party, to modify his previous statements in support of a divisive immigration bill.

In July, the Pharr pastor told The Monitor his organization tries to protect the Hispanic perspectives that the more established, “Anglo” tea party might unintentionally ignore.

And, admitting other tea partyers may disagree, Vera urged Congress to “defend the rights of (youth) who are innocent” and pass the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act, which would grant a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

“Their parents brought them,” Vera said. “They love this nation and have contributed already.

“America needs to make an effort to help them because they have been considered unjustly.”

Days after the original article appeared, however, officers from the San Antonio and McAllen tea parties sent several emails to The Monitor saying they would like to print a correction on behalf of Vera, who speaks little English.

George Rodriguez, president of the San Antonio group, and Chuck Stewart, president of the McAllen Tea Party Association, said the reverend felt his comments were translated incorrectly.

Rodriguez issued a statement from Vera saying he at no time supported U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, who in the July article also called on Congress to pass the DREAM Act after it died in the Senate last year.

Although the pastor didn’t mention the congressman in that story, an illicit alliance between the two was implied, according to Vera’s statement.

“At no time have I deviated from our Tea Party’s position and supported the congressman and the DREAM Act,” Vera’s statement reads. “In the interview, I appear to be united with the congressman and to betray our Tea Party, which is not correct.

“We are united, the Hispanic Tea Party and the Tea Party, in one purpose.”

A NEW PATH

Flanked by several new officers for the Hispanic Tea Party, Vera last week held a second interview with The Monitor and began to clarify his statements when his media director, Charlie Ortiz, interrupted.

“He wants to enrich it more,” he said. “It had caused some confusion.”

Vera then said tea partyers across the country criticized him for supposedly supporting Hinojosa.

Ortiz again broke in.

“Simply put,” he said, “the response from Facebook and our emails were, ‘You join the Hispanic Tea Party, you’re a traitor.’

“The attention from national tea parties — ironically this is getting attention — is that this is contrary to what (their) positions are,” Ortiz added.

At that point, Vera elaborated on la verdad, or truth, that he said he wished was in the first article.

“The DREAM Act is a populist proposal to give a solution to a cruel situation … created by parents who had broken the law,” he said.

“As Hispanics, we should find a way to help them, not by criticizing them but by proposing solutions,” Vera added. “The DREAM Act is not a solution. It resolves the kids’ issue, but –”

“But even there it’s not sufficient,” interrupted Glen Hagenbach, the Hispanic Tea Party education director, who tapped on Rush Limbaugh’s 1992 book, The Way Things Ought To Be.

With the help of Hagenbach, Ortiz and Hispanic Tea Party Vice President James Garcia, Vera described the group’s “New Path,” a comprehensive guest worker program that Vera said had no relation to the DREAM Act.

But “deportation is not the solution, either,” Vera said. “By creating a permit system, we could help (illegal) immigrants be in the country.”

“Temporarily,” Garcia quickly added.

“Temporarily,” Vera echoed. “First, we must secure the border and apply existing laws.”

The “New Path” would not offer what Hagenbach described as a citizenship “fast track” that he saw in the DREAM Act, which would require applicants to adhere to a background check and two years of college study or service in the armed forces before waiting six years to earn lawful, permanent residency.

Instead, Vera and his colleagues would like all immigrants to wait on the same list, check in with authorities every two years, learn English and earn temporary residency.

Like Vera had mentioned of the DREAM Act in July, the group did not expect the “New Path” to gain much traction during the argumentative Congress and a presidential election season.

“We need a different option” than the DREAM Act, Vera said. “The politicians supporting it are demagogues.”

“Understand,” Hagenbach added, “these poor kids are caught between parents who broke the law and the government who didn’t enforce it. There are two parties at fault, but none of us want to blame these kids.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Vera agreed. “I didn’t want to create any confusion. I never made any endorsement of Rubén Hinojosa.”

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/m...party-act.html