Wow, what a week for immigration reform!
Thursday, Senator Chuck Schumer chaired a Judiciary subcommittee hearing on immigration reform, "Can We Do It and How?" And his answer was 'Yes we can.' He knows it'll be hard work but he and the witnesses - including our own executive VP Eliseo Medina - agreed that there is great reason for hope. President Obama wants to get this job done, and even the freshman, newly-appointed senator from my home state of Colorado, Michael Bennet, has been traveling around our state talking about the need for comprehensive immigration reform now.
This Friday, May 1st, I joined SEIU Local 32BJ, SEIU members and thousands of immigration advocates from around the country to march from Malcolm X Park to the White House.
What a crowd! The immigration reform rallies I have been to in the past have usually been 'family' events marked by enthusiasm and passion--and this one was no different. What I saw was a group of workers standing up and standing together for better treatment. People who know that the labor they provide carries more value than they are receiving for it, and are raising their voices to call for real reforms now.
Why we as citizens don't do this more often, I don't know. I do know that putting a floor under the most vulnerable workers in this country will help maintain a standard of living for all of us. And this year's May Day theme emphasizing America's immigrant history - immigrant roots, immigrant rights -- couldn't have been more on target.
After getting fired up with a big crowd like the one in DC on Friday, I feel ready for the work it'll take to get this job done and finally pass smart, pragmatic immigration reform that supports all workers. !Si se puede!
* Read more about last week's Senate hearing on immigration reform.
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President Obama's oft-repeated plan to fine illegal immigrants, make them learn English and send them to the back of the line shows his complete ignorance of how the immigration system works.
Fining illegals is pointless - they are desperately poor already. Requiring them to speak English is futile, but the most ridiculous aspect is the part about sending them to the back of the line.
Why doesn't he know THERE IS NO LINE? That's why people come here illegally - it's only possible to immigrate legally if you have a relative or employer to sponsor you. Most people do not have the luxury of either.
As a European without a sponsor, in order to live and work here, I had to invest in a business that employs U.S. citizens, but I and my family have no path to permanent residence.
Yes, it's time for comprehensive immigration reform. Let's start with making it easier for educated people who will contribute to the economy to get in and stay in.
My 20 year old daughter meets all the criteria of the DREAM Act but, if it becomes law, she won't be eligible to apply for conditional permanent residence because she's LEGAL. The Act is only for the children of ILLEGALS! As things stand, my beautiful, smart daughter has to leave the country when she turns 21, in her 3rd year of university, and return to a country she can barely remember.
The families of those who respected the law are being decimated, but no one cares.
Yes, let's have reform; let's create a path to citizenship for those who came LEGALLY!
ONE BIG PROBLEM: In this democracy, the American public overwhelmingly opposes allowing people who have chosen to violate federal law to get away with it. There are million of people trying to immigrate to the U.S. legally, and the SEIU thinks that those who have broken the law should get a pass simply because they were successful in breaking the law.
It's sad that the SEIU is on the side of Big Business and helping them to exploit cheap labor. That's really all this is about. Wages are being depressed, and no legalization is going to change that.
There already is a path to citizenship, in fact there are dozens of ways to come here legally. We have our laws for a reason, and those who have violated our laws are going to be held accountable through deportation.
Millions of immigrants have come legally over the past century. There's no justification for allowing some people to break the law. Americans who consider themselves liberals and conservatives are joined on this issue: AMERICANS OPPOSE LEGALIZING THOSE WHO VIOLATED OUR LAWS.
Case closed.