Friday, June 5, 2009

Reid offers up more of the same

As hundreds of activists from over 200 different organizations were converging on Washington yesterday in an unprecedented campaign to push for immigration reform, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) announced his intent to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year.

Reid, at a press conference with Latino leaders to discuss Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomajor, announced a renewed commitment to making reform a top priority.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday issued the most direct call yet by a Congressional leader for action this year on comprehensive immigration reform.

“As far as I’m concerned, we have three major issues we have to do this year if at all possible: No. 1 is health care; No. 2 is energy, global warming; and No. 3 is immigration reform,” Reid said after a meeting with Hispanic leaders.

Reid ruled out a gradual approach to overhauling the immigration system. And he said comprehensive reform should happen this year.

“I’m not going to deal with immigration on a piecemeal basis; it’s comprehensive reform,” Reid said.

Any legislation that comes to the Senate floor, Reid said, must address border security, expand the guest worker program so it addresses “more than agriculture,” include a pathway to legalization for illegal immigrants and include stronger penalties for companies that employ illegal workers.

Roll Call


While it's good to know that Reid intends to make good on the Democrat's campaign promise to address the issue sooner rather than later, it's hard to believe that he thinks that dredging up the same old failed policies of the past will mollify those gathered in DC this week to work for real change in a failed system.

Deaf to both the political realities on the ground, and human costs of failed enforcement policies and exploitive guest worker programs, Reid's new vision for "comprehensive reform" is no different from that pushed in the past by Bush or McCain/Kennedy.

He offers up nothing new, instead Reid falls back on the familiar triad of enforcement first, more guest worker programs, and legalization with conditions like stiff fines and English acquisition.

The leader suggested that if undocumented residents pass a series of requirements, they should be allowed to stay in the country without threat of arrest but must wait for citizenship consideration behind current applicants who have not immigrated illegally.

“I believe that what you need to do is have penalties and fines. I think they have to learn English, stay out of trouble, pay their taxes and then they don’t go to the head of the line, they go to the back of the line," Reid said.
The Hill


As always, the devil will be in the details when the legislation begins to emerge from committee, but if Reid's vision is the starting point from which this process will proceed, nothing has been learned from the failed efforts of the past.

Change is not more militarization of the border
Change is not more detention in prisons for profit
Change is not more families separated
Change is not more exploitive guest worker programs
Change is not more penalties and fines

If those in Congress and the Administration believe they can simply repackage the same old policies wrapped in a pretty blue "sí se puede" wrapper, and sell them to a public that wants real solutions to real problems, I fear they're in for a rude awakening.

And if those charged with speaking for the immigrant community believe, as they have in the past, that they must accept crumbs left on the table, they too will find that change has past them by.

There is a growing movement demanding real change, and those working towards that goal will lead the way. Those stuck in the past, tied to failed ideas, fearful of rocking a sinking boat will ultimately be left behind.

2 comments:

Defensores de Democracia said...

Tom Tancredo in Frying Pan - Gourmet Dish for the Press and Bloggers - The Little Hitler and his Army of Thugs

The Little Hitler Tom Tancredo went for wool and came home shorn. Now the Press can have a feast eating the flesh of a Clown.

Letter of Political Encouragement of Tom Tancredo to Shawna Forde ( Child Murderer )

Hitler used a lot of Racism to arrive to power, he also used Free Elections. In America a Despicable Racist Clown wanted to rule, and he also saw the opportunity of having his private army of thugs. Something like the SA Forces of Hitler ( the Sturm Abteilung or Department of Attack ).

Shawna Forde Organizes Tancredo's Meetings and Rallies :

July 1, 2007, story published by the Everett Herald further placed official Tancredo campaign staff at the event as well as Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist — whose own group’s bitter 2005 internal power struggle led to the creation of the defense corps that eventually spawned Forde’s faction.

Tom Tancredo in Frying Pan - Tancredo's Letter of Support to Shawna Forde and the Minutemen. Relationship of Tancredo to Shawna and the Minutemen

From :
"The Colorado Independent"

Tancredo linked to Minuteman group accused of Arizona double-murder

http://coloradoindependent.com/31469/tancredo-linked-to-minuteman-group-accused-of-arizona-double-murder

Littleton Republican sent presidential campaign staff, impassioned letter of thanks to anti-immigrant rally organized by alleged vigilante group but denies connection
By Wendy Norris,
June 18, 2009

Tancredo linked to Minuteman group accused of Arizona double-murder

Some excepts :

Her most recent link to Tancredo, the former Republican congressman from Colorado, occurred at a sparsely attended 2007 Everett rally organized by The Reagan Wing and MAD, a splinter group Forde led that was an offshoot of the more widely known Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. The event featured representatives of Tancredo’s dark-horse presidential campaign and a letter of support from the candidate himself.

In typically fiery tone, Tancredo extended his regrets for being unable to attend the “Illegal Immigration Summit”:

Dear Friends,

"I regret that I cannot tell you in person how grateful I am, but thank you.

Thank you so much for your phone calls, your emails, your contributions and everything you did to help “we the people” kill the Bush-Kennedy-McCain amnesty bill in the Senate last week. The American people have said “no” to amnesty, and now they need a president who stands foursquare with them, not one who will sell out once elected.

I am that candidate! And our campaign is the vehicle to ensure that amnesty NEVER happens!

You’re here today because you understand that every day America is under assault: There are nearly twenty million illegal aliens in the country today and before the next presidential election millions more will cross our borders, threatening our economic security, jeopardizing our national security and undermining our national culture."

The letter follows with more rants against the "Twenty Million Illegal Aliens".

More Info and Important Newspapers about Tom Tancredo :

Raciality.com

Vicente Duque

CBS Radio said...

IMMIGRATION HOUR

Come check out Immigration Hour with Margaret Wong at ChatAboutIt.com, which is an interactive live talk radio show. The show is designed in a question/answer format, so please feel free to call in with any immigration-related questions.

Margaret Wong, named one of the "best lawyers in America,” will discuss the immigration process, case procedure, and entertain a wide range of immigration questions and concerns.

Thursday's 9-10 PM EST!
Call in at 877-CHAT-212