Immigration reform dies in 36 words

Ok guys, we have to be realistic and realize that the Obama administration is playing us and hoping that we give up, deport as many people as they can, and then just deal with the ones leftover after the election cycle in 2012. UNACCEPTABLE!

And then I watched that woman they bought to 'handle' Immigration Reform questions Cecilia Munoz ( ironically formerly director of NCLR until they convince d her to come to the White House) and saw her clearly struggle to keep a straight face as she was pressed live on TV about the White House's dimissal to keep its promise to immigrants. UNACCEPTABLE AND CHEAP.



Immigration reform dies in 36 words
Albor Ruiz - Ny Local

R.I.P. immigration reform.

President Obama wrote its epitaph last Wednesday in his State of the Union speech. Now it is time for immigrants and their advocates to take off the blindfold and face the harsh reality.

It is almost incomprehensible - and frankly a little absurd - that after Obama's address to Congress and the nation that some pro-immigration-reform groups continue to delude themselves and feed immigrants the Pablum of false hope.

"In the State of the Union Address this evening, President Obama made clear his ongoing commitment to immigration reform," the Washington-based Immigration Policy Center said following the televised event.

As proof, the group quoted the President's cursory mention of what amounts to a life-and-death issue for millions of people: "We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system - to secure our borders, enforce our laws and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."

That was it, 36 words uttered in passing near the end of Obama's speech, at best an afterthought, at worse a bone thrown to the immigration community to keep it wagging its tail and hoping against all hope.

It is quite a stretch to conclude from this passing reference that Obama is committed to immigration reform.

Actually, his words were in tune with the repressive mind-set that passes for an immigration policy in the U.S.: greater enforcement but not even a hint at opening an avenue to legalization for the 12 million undocumented people who eke out a living on society's margins.

The truth is that the President's words only point to a climate of greater repression of immigrant workers.

"When communities are terrorized by ICE immigration raids, when nursing mothers are torn from their babies, when children come home from school to find their parents missing, when people are detained without access to legal counsel, when all that is happening, the system just isn't working, and we need to change it," candidate Barack Obama movingly told the National Council of La Raza during his presidential run.

His promise to change what had become a human rights scandal brought him the strong support of Hispanics. Obama won the election in part due to their backing of his commitment to tackle immigration reform - an issue that directly affects the extended families of Latino voters. But that was then and this is now. Under the Obama administration, there has been an increase in policies that terrorized immigrant communities during the Bush years.

Obviously, it is not the moral aspect of reform that will move our elected leaders to action. But the Immigration Policy Center's director, Mary Giovagnoli, had it right when she pointed out that understanding the concrete, measurable economic benefits of immigrants might .

"We have a golden opportunity to enhance the gross domestic product, create and sustain new jobs and businesses, and maintain our competitive edge in the world if we create a system that legalizes current undocumented workers, provides for improved legal channels for families and new workers when they are needed in the future and adopts sensible policies to secure our border," Giovagnoli said. "Such measures will help to provide the framework for an economic recovery that will allow us all to pursue our American dreams."

Good. Now all we need is to bring the immigration reform corpse back from the dead. Any ideas?

[email protected]



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...#ixzz0eEd3KqrI

Oh yea, and before I forget, do you realize that is only when activists and Hispanic and progressive media call them out on their bullshit and start agitating activists, that all of these "breakthroughs" in immigration happen and get leaked to the press?????????????!!!!!!

Remember last May and June when the Democrats chickened out of immigration reform, and they had a 'breakthrough' meeting to pass reform? That shut everyone up because 'the president is very committed to immigration reform'.
Then he went to Mexico and spilled the beans that no, the Democrats had NO intention to pass anything until 2010. Uproar ensued, so he sent Schumer out to the tell the cameras that by 'Labor day we will introduce a reform bill'. That shut everyone up because ' the president is very commited to immigration reform'.
Now is because they lost *ONE* senate seat in Massachussets that they cannot even attempt to pass immigration reform. WHAT?!?!?!?!
Now is because they lost *ONE* senate seat in Massachussets that they wanted to give up on 'health reform' - which should be renamed NO INSURANCE COMPANY LEFT BEHIND -. WHAT?!?!?!?!

What can you DO? Apparently nothing. Now this is just my frustration talking; imagine that of every day Americans. And they wonder why people cannot 'understand'. The phrase "What can you DO? should be used in the November elections.

Ok, seriously. How many of these "IMMIGRATION REFORM IS DEAD, NO HOPE FOR THE FUTURE, OBAMA DIDN'T MENTION US, LET'S ALL KILL OURSELVES COLLECTIVELY" threads do we really need?
You guys need to fucking take a chill pill. Damn.

Yes. We all get it. Yes. We all already know that Obama hardly mentioned Immigration reform. Yes. We are ALL angry and hurt because of that. YES, we HAVE already debated the various reasons as to why he did that, from one extreme to the other.
Posting 10+ of these threads daily, specially the ones that only contain negative input, doesn't really help us get ANYWHERE.
Everyone here already knows exactly what the eff the entire immigrant community needs to do. We need to act, we need to get a move on, we need to all agree to unite and make Congress hear that we're here and we're demanding it. We need to do that because we DON'T KNOW what will happen in the future, but we DO KNOW that not all hope is lost.

So, instead of wasting your time posting these threads that only gets other members depressed and fills their head with BS, why don't you go search online of ways you can contribute.

We all try to do what we can to influence legislation - I do not have to report it all here and certainly not to you. I don't consider the article above 'bullshit' nor the journalist who wrote it trying to fill people's heads with it. In journalism, holding politicians to their word is common; they call it accountability.

This is more or less a public forum for members to write their opinions. If this thread doesn't interest you, then don't read it.

I expected the Dems to fall apart. I'll paraphrase a quote by Lewis Black-the democrats are the party of no ideas while the republicans are the party of bad ideas...and it's completely true. They're playing a political game that will be the end of them. I remember Harry Reid explicitly stating that the Democratic-controlled congress will not be rubber-stamp congress to President Obama as the Republicans had been with Bush, all of this an attempt to deflect flak . It surprises me how what is essentially the majority, so easily bends to the will of the rambunctious minority. Until the Democrats essentially grow a pair, the Republicans will continue to dictate policy.

Yea dude, we know, but seriously, all we ALL want to do, is advocate for each other. We dont really wanna read the thread, but we will, to understand whether its satiric in nature, or its really this pessimistic.

Question is, What do YOU plan to do? after posting this one of many threads like it?

Dwell on it? Or help us with solutions that will counter the information given?

That is true

I've lost count of the letters I've written to my state legislators; to the White House and to national immigration activists. In fact, the last time around, I actually got a very personal reply from a leading organization saying how much they appreciated my input and writing, but that they honestly did not see any reform would pass any time soon. Is disheartening isn't it?

All my state (WA) legislators support DREAM and CIR - I hope for nothing but the best. But I'm also a realist and part of growing up and maturing is realizing that we don't always affect our situation as much as we wish we could. I would be lying to myself if I believed that I have endless influence over the legislative process; I have as much influence on it as I had in the last presidential election, and I did not vote, so that would be zero. I think the nydaily article took immigration rights activists to task by calling on them not to give false hope. But we are still here fighting. Each of us decides when is no longer worth the fight...

Everyone should hold posters up saying" You promise us a reform, we wont vote for you again if you don't give us what you promised!" during the marches. I don't think the article is trying to brainwash us with negative feedback, it's only fair that we post not just the positive info but the negative as well.

side note- there's more than 300 million people in the u.s and about 12 million illegal immigrants that would qualify under CIR I mean come on, we're not going to outnumber them.

@the OP: I say, these types of threads are whats going to drive people to give up.
If you believe in the cause, you should be encouraging people to keep up the fight. Not telling everyone its over, "lets pack up our shit and give up". And even though I know you didn't intend to make your thread sound that way, instead more like a wake up call, you are still going to put a damper on people's spirits writing stuff like that and that's not something we need right now.

Yea they want to deport as many of us a possible before they reform.
Yea they want most of us to give up before they reform.
Yea they want to reform for as little amount of people as possible.

But in the end they'll still have to reform. And quite frankly I will be happy when they give up on a huge Immigration overhaul, because I believe the focus should only and should have always only been on the DREAM Act.