Thread: Rumblings of Discontent from the Pro-Amnesty Crowd

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Rumblings of Discontent from the Pro-Amnesty Crowd [Mark Krikorian]

The White House decision to not go through with the nomination of Thomas Saenz as head of the Civil Rights Division at Justice isn't sitting well with some of the pro-amnesty folks. Janet Murguia, president of La Raza, had this to say:

This action may lead some to question whether the White House is ready to fulfill its promise on immigration reform. Along with the nomination of Tom Perez as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, the Latino community will be looking for further reassurance that this is not the case. Nonetheless, the administration missed an opportunity to bring the debate back to the merits of the law, rather than succumb to the shrill voices of fear.

And pro-amnesty law professor Kevin Johnson wrote on his blog:

It appears that Saenz's immigration work for MALDEF, including his successful litigation halting the implementation of California's Proposition 187, proved to be "too controversial" for his nomination to go forward. Given that the Obama administration apparently caved on this nomination, one wonders whether it will have the backbone to press on immigration reform. One also has to wonder with MALDEF, unlike the NAACP, has somehow become radioactive in national politics because it fights for the civil rights of immigrants.

03/17 02:22 PM

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/? ... NlOTRhZDY=

They aren't just pro-amnesty, they are anti-American, hate American even.

Succumbing to the shrill voices of fear, Murguia? How about succumbing to the angry voices of Americans, real legal Americans who are here legally because they made the effort to follow the law? This woman deserves some sort of award for her non-stop racism and twisting of truth to better The Race.

one wonders whether it will have the backbone to press on immigration reform. One also has to wonder with MALDEF, unlike the NAACP, has somehow become radioactive in national politics because it fights for the civil rights of immigrants.

Apparently, Johnson, the administration has enough backbone to not appoint someone who has been working against the interests of the United States by favoring one ethnic group against the interest of the general population. And as a lawyer, you should know better that there is a difference between legal and illegal immigrants. And yes, both MALDEF and LaRaza are radioactive, more like kryptonite to Superman which would always have the effect of removing his powers, just like these pro-amnesty groups are trying to do.

isn't sitting well with some of the pro-amnesty folks. Janet Murguia, president of La Raza, had this to say:

My God, aren't these people paying attention!

Every appointment the Obama administration has made thus far is considered a pro-illegal alien advocate.

Is Thomas Saenz Hispanic? If so, that could explain a lot.

Maybe they didn't do their taxes or had a prison stay in their past!

One also has to wonder with MALDEF, unlike the NAACP, has somehow become radioactive in national politics because it fights for the civil rights of immigrants.

The original Civil Rights movement was legitimate and was started to correct REAL discrimination, mostly against African Americans. (Though one might argue it has now outlived its purpose, or has gotten irrational at times.) But this hijacking of what was previously a legitimate movement, by ethnocentric pro-amnesty groups, is ridiculous.

By Civil Rights for immigrants they mean special treatment - quotas, etc, as if the experience of immigrants in this country is equivalent to that of African Americans. Special treatment even if those immigrants have just arrived to this country.

America is the land of opportunity, NOT guarantees. All immigrants to U.S. have had to struggle. My Irish ancestors were discriminated against, businesses hung signs that said "No Irish Need Apply". So, Civil Rights for immigrants? Then lets right the wrongs against all our ancestors - I should be eligible for affirmative action too!!!

....the problem really is that Murguia and La RAZA don't just want any "Hispanic" on the Administration.....the person must first and foremost be of Mexican descent.......and of course, anyone from MALDEF is top priority.

Obama's civil rights nomination upsets some Latinos
Thomas Perez's selection for a Justice Department post concerns some civil rights advocates, who believe Villaraigosa aide Thomas Saenz was passed over to avoid sparking an immigration battle.
By Paul West and Richard Simon
March 19, 2009

Reporting from Washington -- Thomas Perez is Maryland's highest-ranking Latino, but his selection as the nation's leading civil rights enforcer has provoked sharp criticism from some Latino civil rights advocates.

The criticism isn't directed at Perez, the state's secretary of labor and a first-generation Dominican American, or his qualifications.


Instead, it revolves around a belief that the administration passed over another Latino attorney for the position as head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, possibly out of a desire to avoid a fight over immigration.

A statement by the National Council of La Raza, which calls itself the nation's largest Latino civil rights organization, expressed "profound disappointment" that Thomas Saenz, an advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, wasn't chosen for job.

"This action may lead some to question whether the White House is ready to fulfill its promise on immigration reform," said Janet Murguia, the group's president. Through a spokeswoman, she refused a request for further comment.


Saenz was reported last month to be the leading contender for the position. A close associate, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, was quoted late last week as saying that he had been offered the appointment and accepted it.

Saenz refused to comment, as did Villaraigosa's office.

Administration officials won't discuss the selection and vetting processes. But a White House spokeswoman, speaking on the condition that she not be identified, said Saenz remained under consideration for another, unspecified post.

Saenz's defenders link his failure to secure the civil rights job to his advocacy for immigration rights. That, in turn, has fed nervousness among some Latinos that Obama wanted to duck a Senate confirmation fight that would highlight the divisive issue.

Obama, during the first two months of his presidency, has left immigration in the background as he has dealt with the economic crisis and promoted energy, healthcare and education initiatives. But immigration was a central topic Wednesday, when the president met with members of the all-Democratic Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Caucus members had met the day before to discuss whether to bring up the civil rights appointment with Obama and decided against it because, according to a member, they didn't want to take time away from their top priority -- immigration legislation.

"Why wouldn't you want to have someone who has a committed, dedicated, unblemished commitment to civil rights and to immigrants," Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.) asked in an interview outside the House chamber.

He said Obama would convene a White House meeting in the coming weeks to further discuss immigration legislation. "Patience is waning," Gutierrez said. But he added: "We have to give him an opportunity. . . . This is going to be hard."

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-East Los Angeles) said Obama made a commitment to "work with us to get a comprehensive immigration reform bill passed this year. . . . That would be the goal."

Saenz, a former vice president of litigation for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), has pushed for anti-discrimination protection from Border Patrol sweeps.

Reports that he would be chosen for the job prompted opposition from anti-illegal-immigration forces. An editorial in Investor's Business Daily called him "a man who has dedicated his life to promoting illegal immigrant 'rights.' "

MALDEF said that "the same rhetoric from the same extremists that kept the Congress from enacting responsible immigration reform has been unleashed unfairly and inaccurately" against Saenz.

Perez, by contrast, appears to have little if any public record on hot-button immigration issues, despite his involvement with CASA de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group, whose board he once headed. He also served briefly on the board of the National Immigration Forum.

He is a former staff attorney in the Justice Department's civil rights division and was a Clinton administration appointee as head of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services. He was a special counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) in the 1990s and has ties to John Podesta, who headed Obama's transition operation.

Perez, 47, was a leading member of the transition team for the Justice Department.

Cruz Reynoso, the first Latino to serve on the California Supreme Court, said he was "a little bit disappointed, frankly, that if what I hear is true, it may mean that the president is not willing to enter into the fight that I think we have to enter into to do any good on immigration."

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates tougher immigration enforcement, called Perez another Obama appointee who is "far outside the mainstream of general public thinking on immigration enforcement."

The civil rights division deals with a wide range of anti-discrimination enforcement, including voting rights violations and police misconduct.

Historically, immigration is "not a major issue" for its lawyers, said Joseph D. Rich, former chief of the voting rights section. He said Perez was "a great choice," in part because of his previous experience in the office.

www.latimes.com

Perez, by contrast, appears to have little if any public record on hot-button immigration issues, despite his involvement with CASA de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group, whose board he once headed. He also served briefly on the board of the National Immigration Forum.

He is a former staff attorney in the Justice Department's civil rights division and was a Clinton administration appointee as head of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services. He was a special counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) in the 1990s and has ties to John Podesta, who headed Obama's transition operation.



This guy could not be more pro-illegal if Marguia were his mother, so there is some deeper reason for this bitching coming from La Raza and the rest.

Since Saenz is closely linked to Villaraigosa, I think the reason they wanted him in this particular position so badly lies right there.....with Villaraigosa somewhere and in some way.

Apparently, Janet is upset that Obama didn't appoint her hand-picked candidate for the position. Guess what Janet? First, you're not the POTUS. You don't get to make these decisions. Second, Obama LIES TO EVERYONE. You're not that special.