Thread: Maria Elena Salinas: Immigration still needs reform

Maria Elena Salinas: Immigration still needs reform

Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, September 7, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Both Democrats and Republicans understand that there needs to be immigration reform in the next administration. However, they have very different approaches on how to go about it, and in the case of the Republicans, the position of the party does not necessarily reflect that of its presidential candidate, John McCain.

When you look at some of the hard-line positions advocated by the GOP, it's no wonder that only 6 percent of Hispanic voters think the Republican Party is better for Latinos, according to the latest Pew Hispanic Center survey. Republicans support English as the official language of the United States, urge the prompt completion of the border fence and propose reversing court decisions that, in their words, "make deportations more difficult." They want to deny federal funds to cities that provide sanctuary to undocumented immigrants, they oppose in-state tuition rates for undocumented students – which is what the DREAM Act proposes – and they oppose amnesty.

Word is that there were major debates prior to the Republican Convention about preparing the party's position on immigration, because it is in direct conflict with that of its presidential candidate – or at least when it comes to the approach it is taking on the issue. The party describes immigration as a national security issue, while McCain recognizes the need to "enact and implement other parts of practical, fair and necessary immigration policy."

Like his party, McCain wants to secure the nation's borders with physical and virtual barriers. But he also proposes creating a guest-worker program and addressing the "undocumented," who he recognizes contribute to our economy. In following with the immigration reform bill he co-authored with Sen. Ted Kennedy, McCain proposes a path to legalization through a series of steps that undocumented immigrants would have to follow, and once they comply, they'd have to go to the back of the line. It's what the more conservative wing of his party considers disguised "amnesty."

When it comes to this issue, McCain's approach is not very different from that of the Democratic Party. Democrats propose an immigration reform that is "tough, practical and humane." It includes a support system for the undocumented who fill the requirements to legalize their status, and a proposal to improve the legal naturalization system and to promote economic development in the countries that expel immigrants.

The wording in the Democratic platform is much more considerate than that of the Republicans in recognizing the ineffectiveness of the raids that "tear apart families and leave people detained without adequate access to counsel."

In interviews with Spanish-language media, Barack Obama has promised to implement immigration reform in the first year of his administration. However, Arnoldo Torres, an expert on Hispanic issues, wonders where immigration will fall in the list of priorities if the Democrats make it to the White House. "With all the problems they will be facing, like fixing the economy, the war in Iraq, oil prices and the home mortgage crisis, among others, when will they have time to deal with immigration?" he asks.

Another thing to consider is whether a president really has the power to enact legislation without the support of Congress. President George W. Bush was supportive of the McCain-Kennedy bill and lobbied hard in Congress to have it passed but was unable to persuade members of his own party to support it, and had to back off.

Immigration has taken a back seat as an issue in the political campaign. But the fact is that our immigration system is still broken. Building a wall to separate us from Mexico, rounding up immigrants and separating families have not done much to fix it. Immigration continues to be a very divisive issue, and time has not yet healed the wounds left open by the very bitter debate of the past two years. Democrats and Republicans need to keep both things in mind.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/v-print/story/1214366.html

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Maria Elena Salinas our immigration system is not broken. What is broken is the minds of some who perpetuate this insanity that all you have to be is a hard working person, have a family and kids and by that alone you can flout the law by being here illegally. What this Univision anchorwoman does is also play a demographic hegemony game which underpins this entire insanity some latino leaders are actually playing. Have enough so-called Hispanics in this country to lean on us not so subtlely to let us know that soon there will be such a number of them that we need to understand that soon we will have Spanish parity with English and that de fact "nueva americana latina" a new latin america will be instituted. What those leaders need to understand is that in fact their political and business ambitions are extremely dangerous to their own community. What those people should actually ask is to stop all immigration from sout of our border to "stabilize" the current Hispanic population to give is a better chance to assimilate and thrive instead of advocating a free for all open borders and amnesty. After all what do they expect is going to happen other than an incredibly big Hispanic underclass unable to attain the middle classes, living in balkanized areas of the country ( a boon for teh spanish language media of course). I am going too far, really? How many spanish language only universities do you know in our country able to "churn" out doctors, architects, engineers, teachers etc? Enough of this idiotic identity politics and let's get on with the business of helping those Hispanics, here legitimately, to assimilate, not drop out of school, go to college and become Americans liek ALL of us (their experience is ours too - so nothing different or more special).