Sides Get Set to Lobby Obama for Immigration Policy Changes

Sides get set to lobby Barack Obama for immigration policy changes

Some activists oppose detentions and deportations; others seek hiring restrictions and border control

By Luis F. Perez | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 1, 2008

Immigration rallies are planned. E-mail blasts have started to go out. And advocates have already penned an open letter to president-elect Barack Obama.

He is about seven weeks away from taking office, but advocates on all sides of the immigration debate are gearing up to lobby for changes in the country's immigration laws. They want Obama to make it a priority.

Pro-immigrant groups cite a huge swing in Hispanic voters toward Democrats as a reason the new administration should make changes fast. Obama can make policy changes, such as slowing detentions and deportations, without waiting for legislation, they say.

Proponents of tighter immigration policies want laws more strictly enforced, including against employers who hire undocumented immigrants, and more border control.

Both sides face the country's economic crisis, which Obama has identified as his first priority. Still, they're undeterred.

"We will be mobilizing our members to not only act on their own but also to energize their friends and neighbors," said Roy Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA, a group that advocates reduced immigration.

Beck said his group, which touts more than 800,000 members, sent e-mail encouraging supporters to write to their elected representatives.

Some argue that revising immigration laws could save money and boost the economy.

"Immigration goes hand in hand with the economy," said Linda Osberg-Braun, president of the South Florida chapter of American Immigration Lawyers.

Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigration Advocacy Center, said the government "would have more resources to target real terrorists and threats if it didn't spend so much on ineffective border fences and jailing immigrants who pose no danger to U.S. communities."

The Florida Immigrant Coalition plans to join a rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, the day after Obama's inauguration. It's part of the National Alliance of Latin American & Caribbean Communities, which published an open letter to the president-elect.

Maria Rodriguez, coalition executive director, said the groups are ready to take political steps to encourage Obama "to do the right thing for immigrants."

Jeff DeVore, a Palm Beach Gardens resident and past president of the local chapter of the immigration lawyers association, said he expects incremental changes, not an immigration overhaul.

"I think the economy is going to take center stage," he said.

Luis F. Perez can be reached at lfperez@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4553.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... 1175.story

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Maria Rodriguez, coalition executive director, said the groups are ready to take political steps to encourage Obama "to do the right thing for immigrants."

Doing the right thing for immigrants would be to Deport the illegal aliens!

Yet another MSM article that wrongly refers to illegal aliens as immigrants, and fails to note the important distinctions between the two.

The following is a copy of my response to the article.

Illegal aliens pose no danger to our way of life and economy? Maybe you will change your tune if you or a member of your family are victimized by an illegal alien criminal like an identity thief as friends of mine have been, a young nursing student in our community killed by a previously deported illegal alien drunk driver in a stolen SUV, another previously deported illegal alien killing a senior citizen after he raped and robbed her, the MS-13 gang members who you so fervently support that raped 2 young girls, both deaf and one who had cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair, a 5 year old child raped by another previously deported illegal alien sex offender and the recent nationwide sweep that netted thousands of sex offenders in which 85 percent were illegally in the country with most convicted of crimes and reentered the U.S. to inflict more pain and suffering on the American people. Border patrol says 100 sex offenders cross the border daily because of open borders and no enforcement at any cost lobbying by anarchists as you. I guess the rape and molestation of young girls, women and senior citizens, the murders of 42,000 innocent Americans since 2001 and the numerous other American lives ruined from identity theft (a class C felony for which US citizens are in prison, separated from their families) by those with no legal right to be in this country means absolutely nothing to you as you care only about those who made a conscious and deliberate decison to violate our borders, sovereignty, laws, have children at tax payer expense while illegally here and use stolen identities to apply for jobs and benefits.
Politicians including Obama and Biden must place the well being of the American people first, not illegal aliens to the tune of 400 billion dollars annually for illegal alien health care, welfare, food stamps, birthright citizenship and other benefits while senior citizens and indigent Americans are forced to decide between food, rent, medicine and heat, veterans go without needed health care as an Iraq War veteran suffering from traumatic brain injury facing financial devastation and the loss of his home because his wife had to leave her job to take care of his family while an illegal alien in a Chicago hospital suffering from a subdural hematoma received over 250 thousand dollars in taxpayer provided treatment compliments of medicare (a program already on the verge of bankruptcy resulting in benefits to senior citizens and needy Americans). A 9-11 rescuer developed kidney disease because of his efforts but was denied a kidney transplant because he amassed 250 thousand dollars in medical bills and thus was unable to afford the procedure while illegal aliens receive taxpayer supported kidney transplants from UCLA. Another illegal alien also received a liver transplant again costing taxpayers 500,000 dollars through medicare (already on the verge of bankruptcy from this and the never ending flood of illegal aliens crossing the border and giving birth at taxpayer expense through medicare). A U.S. citizen died from colon cancer because he had no insurance while an illegal alien in my area with a 25 percent poverty rate received chemotherapy at taxpayer expense and citizens in my area with the same affliction are wondering how they will pay for their care. Another U.S. citizen died waiting in an ER flooded by illegal aliens with NON life threatening conditions. 100 hospitals are slated for closure for California including a level one trauma center in my state as related by the CEO during a local news cast when he stated it was running in the red due to non-reimbursement from from illegal aliens. Cities as Houston spend 660 million, Dallas 475 million, and LA 444 million dollars annually on illegal alien health care. The total annual expenditure on illegal immigration health care and other costs continues to rise as 5,000 to 10,000 illegally enter this country every week. Universal health care will not solve our problems but will result in a rationing of already limited existing health care resources. The problem is as one poster said a lack of health care resources exacerbated by the population explosion in this country aided in large part by the never ending flood of impoverished, illiterate and uneducated humanity from countries where there was no formal health care infrastructure with many of them bringing maladies forcing taxpayers to care for them.
Obama, Reid, McCain, Pelosi and open borders anarchists as you who don't care about the American people want to legalize 20 million illegally here who will bring their immediate and extended family members (resulting in a population growth of at least 100 million in the next 20 years and that is if illegal immigration is stopped now). They, their immediate and extended family members will be competing with Americans for any jobs including health care professions arising from the proposed stimulus package. Those unable to find work, disabled or at retirement age (including those illegally here and legalized but never paid into the system) will be added to our social security rolls (SSI too) when social security already faces 53 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities and the impending support for 78 million baby boomers including disabled Americans. Others unable to find work will be added to our welfare and unemployment rolls when state unemployment insurance trust funds are running out of money. All of them will added to our health care rolls when our health care system already is on the verge of complete collapse resulting in a lack of health care for Americans now forced to file for bankruptcy in increasing numbers when faced with major medical events. Where is the logic in giving health care to 20 million illegally here plus the 5,000 to 10,000 illegally crossing our borders every week when Americans are unable to get it?. Legalizing those who violated our laws, borders, sovereignty and use stolen identities (Justice Department estimates 75 percent are involved in identity theft) will only send a signal to the rest of the world that we are not not a nation of laws and have no will to enforce them resulting in a stampede of untold proportions for our border destroying our health care, education, land, clean water, food, energy, other LIMITED resources while adding more pollution and increasing our collective carbon footprint resulting in a significant decrease in our health and overall quality of life.
Why is there no mention from the corrupt press as you that enforcement of our laws under the 1986 IRCA and it's 5 revisons (prosecute employers, shut off welfare, food stamps and unemployment which illegal aliens are receiving; most from fraud) is working in states as Arizona and Oklahoma where unemployment has dropped by 2 and 3 percent along with a drop in crime and crowding of schools and hospitals. Raids throughout the country have resulted in the arrest of illegal aliens using STOLEN social security numbers ruining numerous lives from identity theft, discovery of criminals and reopening of jobs evidenced by Americans in high unemployment areas lining up for those jobs as the raids at Swift plants throughout the country, Harris Electrical Manufacturing in MS, the parachute manufacturing facility in NC (illegal aliens using stolen identities should NOT be employed in a manufactuirng facility supporting our military for obvious safety and secutity reasons), the leather manufacturing facility in MA (illegal aliens were disciplined for using the restroom and child labor was prevalent) and IFCO in Houston to name a few of these raids which I have folders full of. Everyone interviewed after these raids supported them with amny of them stating they reapplied for those jobs after being fired and replaced by illegal aliens. Employers offered higher wages and benefits. So tell me again how illegal aliens are doing jobs that Americans won't do as you spread the usual b.s. because your only allegiance is to those illegally here.
Those of you who say this is racist and unkind to our fellow human beings need to realize that our resources are finite, NOT infinite. Illegal aliens are NOT a race. The constitution states they are such as they are ILLEGALLY here. Those that complain about a lack of available and affordable health care but say we have an obligation to be the world's health care provider when we have millions of our own children and adults with serious afflictions who are unable to obtain the needed care while those who illegally cross the border are taken care of at taxpayer expense need to heed the time worn adage, "charity begins at home". Shame on you for not protesting in front of the corrupt governments of the countries illegal aliens are from by demanding they improve the quality of their people lives instead of foisting their problems on the backs of struggling taxpayers and placing the interests of those illegally here ahead of the American people. We cannot sustain the never ending flood of humanity into this country which the new administration, congress and the corrupt press will subject us too while telling the American people to take a hike. It is a simple matter of math and economics.

Retired Military, 24 Years Service
Combat Disabled

If those illegally here receive free health care why can't I?

I hope they come out by the millions, yell and demonstrate and all the nasty stuff. After LA paid 11million to IAs that demonstrated in Mac Aurthur
Park they think it will be a big payday again.

Don't forget the foreign flags and hateful signs.

Quote:

Maria Rodriguez, coalition executive director, said the groups are ready to take political steps to encourage Obama "to do the right thing for immigrants."

HOW ABOUT "DOING THE RIGHT THING" FOR AMERICANS! Giving amnesty to illegal aliens is not what is right for America.

Maria Rodriguez needs to learn the DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.