Thread: Some believe immigration reform best achieved in pieces

Some believe immigration reform best achieved in pieces

By Michael Doyle / Bee Washington Bureau03/15/07 03:57:49
Sotero Cervantes is a walking history lesson, an 86-year-old Stockton resident who survived one immigration experiment and now wants to start another.
This week, Cervantes and a dozen other San Joaquin Valley residents pressed Congress for wide-ranging immigration reform.

Their visit coincides with a renewed rhetorical push by President Bush and ongoing efforts by lawmakers to craft a reform bill that can win bipartisan support. But the visitors said their experiences often were frustrating as they encountered polite yet inattentive congressional staffers who seemed unfamiliar with the history of the debate.

"It's not easy to come here, to receive these disappointments," Cervantes said in Spanish, speaking through an interpreter.

A one-time bracero -- or guest worker -- who entered the United States from Mexico in 1951, Cervantes has never lobbied Congress before. The 20-something congressional staffers he's encountered this week knew little about the controversial guest-worker program of which he was a part.

"The congressional assistants are very young," said Stockton resident and former farmworker Cristina Gonzalez, shaking her head. "When you mention the word bracero, some of them say, 'What's that?' "

Between 1942 and 1964, the bracero program brought as many as 200,000 Mexicans annually into the U.S. to work on farms. The word "bracero" stems from the Spanish word for arm. Thousands of former braceros live in the San Joaquin Valley. Today, the term is politically loaded; some former braceros say they are still owed money, and critics of the program say it led to the abuse of an impoverished work force.

The history still shadows Congress, where varying guest-worker proposals compete for support.

Cervantes, Gonzalez and their allies from Fresno, Modesto and Sacramento have joined several hundred immigrant advocates organized through the American Friends Service Committee, a support group for the poor and underprivileged.

Immigration was on the front burner Tuesday as Bush met with Mexican President Felipe Calderon as a last stop on Bush's tour of Latin America.

Bush told Calderon: "I will work as hard as I possibly can to pass comprehensive immigration reform."

So far, though, the kind of comprehensive bill the immigrant advocates want remains elusive. Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona were unable to agree on a package during weeks of quiet negotiations.

Some lawmakers believe the difficulties experienced by the two high-profile senators demonstrate that Congress would be better off starting small.

"To try to do comprehensive is complicated," cautioned Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia.

Instead, Nunes and some others, including Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, suggest Congress might first carve out a program just for agricultural workers.

The so-called AgJobs proposal would grant legal U.S. residency, and potentially citizenship, to 1.5 million illegal immigrants with agricultural backgrounds.

By contrast, comprehensive immigration plans, which advocates are lobbying for this week, would extend beyond farmworkers and cover many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.
The reporter can be reached at mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com or (202) 383-0006.

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/35402.html

Glad you posted that Sovereign! I read it in the paper today but couldn't find it online to post.

"It's not easy to come here, to receive these disappointments," Cervantes said in Spanish, speaking through an interpreter.

A one-time bracero -- or guest worker -- who entered the United States from Mexico in 1951, Cervantes has never lobbied Congress before. The 20-something congressional staffers he's encountered this week knew little about the controversial guest-worker program of which he was a part.

You've got to be kidding me, this individual has been here since 1951 and still can't speak English.

So much for assimilation.

Originally Posted by MW

"
You've got to be kidding me, this individual has been here since 1951 and still can't speak English.

So much for assimilation.

I'd be willing to bet he does and is pretending he doesn't. We see that all time out here!

The so-called AgJobs proposal would grant legal U.S. residency, and potentially citizenship, to 1.5 million illegal immigrants with agricultural backgrounds.

Originally Posted by Dixie

The so-called AgJobs proposal would grant legal U.S. residency, and potentially citizenship, to 1.5 million illegal immigrants with agricultural backgrounds.

The camels nose will be in the tent for sure. Placing Ag workers above the law will just set precedent for all the rest. Let judges handle the mitigation when illegal aliens appear in court. This is not a decision to happen in Congress. There is no behavior that will change if rewarded. A vote for Agjobs is a vote for continued invasion.

The so-called AgJobs proposal would grant legal U.S. residency, and potentially citizenship, to 1.5 million illegal immigrants with agricultural backgrounds.

And they get to bring their families here, so when all is said and done, it amounts to closer to amnesty for 3 million.

OK let me translate this to reality speak. Our corrupt politicians could not fool us with their other plans, so they are trying a different plan to try and fool us to get amnesty through. I can see 10 million illegal aliens lining up with fake documents that they worked in agriculture. And of course the definition of "agriculture" will include landscaping, meat packing, restaurants, the list goes on.