Latino groups urge White House official to 'return to her roots,' push for better immigration system

Albor Ruiz - Ny Local
Wednesday, October 26th 2011, 4:00 AM

The next couple of months are bound to be difficult ones for Cecilia Muñoz, the White House director of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Several Latino groups are demanding she tell the truth about Secure Communities, the Obama administration's controversial deportation program.

With that in mind, they have launched a nationwide online petition asking Muñoz "to return to her roots and to fight for the rights of Latinos caught in a reckless immigration system that pulls families apart and has deported record numbers."

The fact that Muñoz, former vice-president of the National Council of La Raza, the country's largest Latino advocacy group and a former passionate defender of immigrant rights, has morphed into the main White House official publicly trying to justify its harsh tactics is particularly galling for advocates. They feel betrayed.

Her words during an appearance in the PBS documentary "Lost in Detention" last week was the drop that filled the cup.

After a year of investigation, "Lost in Detention" documents how President Obama's policies have led to the record-breaking deportation of more than 1 million immigrants, the separation of thousands of families, the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands more and the sexual abuse and dehumanization of hundreds of them while in detention. Yet, Muñoz defended these same immigration policies.

"As long as Congress gives us the money to deport 400,000 people a year that's what the administration is going to do. Even broken laws have to be enforced," a seemingly annoyed Muñoz told correspondent MarÃ*a Hinojosa.

"When you were appointed the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs of the Obama Administration, we applauded," the petition reads. "When we heard the announcement that you'd been appointed the President's right-hand person on immigration policy, we thought that was a positive step.

"However, ... it has become clear that your true role at the White House is to serve as the chief Latina defender of immigration policies that have devastated our community. It has left us confused and heartbroken," the petition continues.

In fact, said Roberto Lovato, of Presente.org., the main group behind the petition drive, Muñoz has repeatedly made misleading statements. Here are just two instances, among many:

Muñoz has said half of the almost 400,000 immigrants deported this year were criminals. Yet, statistics released this week prove that only 22% were convicted of serious offenses. In other words, 78% of the "criminals" being deported are people with traffic and immigration violations and other nonviolent offenses.

Muñoz has stated that the cases of the 300,000 people currently in deportation proceedings would be reviewed, and low-priority cases like those of DREAM Act students and people with strong ties to the U.S. would be dismissed. In fact, the administration has not begun its review of these cases and DREAM Act students are still in deportation proceeding.

In her government role, Muñoz has insisted President Obama cares about the plight of immigrant families, but his hands are tied by an unresponsive Congress.

Advocates are not so sure. As the petitions says, "The record shows that decisions were made early in the Obama administration to expand shameful and discredited programs like Secure Communities which rely on racial profiling to rip families apart."

Felipe Matos, of Presente.org., had this message for Muñoz:

"It is time for [her] to come home to her community...It is time to tell the truth and stop defending the indefensible."

aruiz@nydailynews.com

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bro ... z1buEF1EcV