Obama reverses stance on immigration

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/08/obama-enforcement-first-for-immigration/
Friday, May 8, 2009
Obama reverses stance on immigration
Stephen Dinan (Contact)

On the thorniest of political issues, President Obama has embraced the enforcement-first position on immigration that he criticized during last year's presidential campaign, and he now says he can't move forward with the type of comprehensive bill he wants until voters are convinced that the borders can be enforced. Having already backed off his pledge to have an immigration bill this year, Mr. Obama boosted his commitment to enforcement in the budget released Thursday. The spending blueprint calls for extra money to build an employee-verification system and to pay for more personnel and equipment to patrol the border. This security-first stance is not unlike that of President George W. Bush, Bush Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, who said their immigration bill failed in 2007 because voters didn't trust the government to be serious about enforcement. "If the American people don't feel like you can secure the borders," Mr. Obama said at his press conference last week, "then it's hard to strike a deal that would get people out of the shadows and on a pathway to citizenship who are already here, because the attitude of the average American is going to be, 'Well, you're just going to have hundreds of thousands of more coming in each year.' " Republicans say the shift is a sign that Mr. Obama, who during the campaign repeatedly called the issue a priority, is uncertain how to move forward. "I don't think Barack Obama understands the immigration issue. I don't know that he has spoken about it in any depth during his entire political career," said Rep. Steve King of Iowa , the top Republican on the House Judiciary subcommittee that handles immigration. "I think he's finding his position, and I think that's why we're getting these moving positions." Immigration questions dog Mr. Obama. He was asked about the issue at a town hall in California and has been prodded by Spanish-language reporters, to whom he has given plenty of access. But so far, even as he puts off a target date for signing a comprehensive bill, he has kept the support of immigrant rights groups, who applaud his changes at the Department of Homeland Security and say he's still committed to their top priority - a bill that would legalize most illegal immigrants. "Given all the givens - you can't look at any one priority in isolation - he's made a decent start," said Angela M. Kelley, who used to be director of the Immigration Policy Center and is now vice president for immigration issues at the Center for American Progress. But, she said, he will need to show some progress before the year is out. "The president needs to help Congress steer this issue, so there has be a pretty clear road map that he's stating publicly about how he wants us to proceed, and then have the internal workings of the White House support what he says publicly," she said. The 2007 bill was blocked in the Senate by a bipartisan filibuster, but Republicans provided most of the "no" votes and took most of the blame. Even with expanded Democratic majorities and a sense among immigrant-rights groups that voters' attitudes on the issue have shifted in their favor, Mr. Obama still will have to win Republican votes. Mr. King said that math may be part of the reason why the president is now talking about enforcement. "It looks to me that Obama has a clear instinct to lurch as hard to the left as possible, but I think he also recognizes now there are some real limitations to what you can do because you've still got to get 60 votes in the Senate," Mr. King said. Last summer, as a candidate, Mr. Obama said stepped-up enforcement had to be coupled with rewriting immigration rules and giving both instant legal status and an eventual path to citizenship for most illegal immigrants who are willing to pay a fine and learn English. He also told the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials that comprehensive immigration - the term backers use for a bill that includes legalizing illegal immigrants - would be "a priority I will pursue from my very first day." But last month, on Univision's "Al Punto" Sunday political talk show, host Jorge Ramos tried to pin down Mr. Obama on his campaign "guarantee" that "we will have, in the first year, an immigration bill that I strongly support." "You are absolutely right, the economic crisis has meant that I have been putting a lot on Congress' plate," Mr. Obama told Mr. Ramos, according to Univision's transcript. "So what that's meant is that just in terms of the calendar, I can't guarantee that I will have a bill on my desk before the end of the year." At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was asked whether Americans have enough confidence in border security. "It depends on who you ask and when," she said. Those who want to see stricter limits on immigration say they have been amazed at how much leeway Mr. Obama is being given by immigrant rights groups who have been harshly critical of calls for enforcement first. "I'm just surprised at how muted the reaction has been to Obama's complete lack of action on immigration," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, who said immigrant rights groups are giving Mr. Obama "a lot more slack than they would have given a President McCain." Earlier this year Mr. McCain told The Washington Times that immigrant rights supporters were mistaken if they thought Mr. Obama's promise to conduct meetings meant they will see a bill. "I was fascinated the Hispanic Caucus came out all excited - 'Hey, he said we're going to have forums and meetings and conferences on it' - is there somebody that doesn't understand the issue of immigration? So if the president wants to lead and make a proposal on comprehensive immigration reform with the principle of securing our borders first, then I'm ready to join in. But the president has to lead," Mr. McCain said.

Keeping faith for "The Illegal Extraterrestrial"

Every year is a different experience, every year I learn something new. But this year, it was like I was dragged from one place to another to hear a message from God. The swine flu, the rain, the new president, the unemployment and bad economy, everything plays an important factor for people to come out and show support to "La Causa" or hide in the shadows and do nothing.

Everything started like any other event, looking for the perfect venue so we can have the greatest number of people involved. We thought that our local Church will be the perfect place. Have a spiritual vigil, community speakers and end it with a mass. Everything looked perfect! For reasons out of my reach, the father from the Church did not let us use the Church as our venue. OK, we started with plan B: a public park. We did all the arrangements, pay the city dues and on May 4, around 4:00 p.m., the majority of the board of directors decided to cancel our event "for safety reasons". What! After all the hard work, besides more people die crossing the border every year than from flu. What about all the people that called me to confirm the date, time and spot. The swine flu is a justified cause; on the other hand, my compromise with the people that called and I said I'll be there. I called the other organizers and said to them "llueva, truene o relampage, I'll be there" So I did.

On May 1st. at 5:00 p.m. I was standing at the Napa Veteran's Park in downtown Napa with my umbrella, a light blue sweater, jeans and sandals. Why sandals? I was positive hoping for a sunny day and something comfortable to walk. Two other members Marcos and Ricky, arrived with their umbrellas too. Their umbrellas were twice as big as mine and they were dressed accordingly to the rainy weather. We stayed there for an hour. Because it was raining so hard, nobody else showed. It was kind of a disappointment because we worked so hard all the month of April and have this canceled at the last minute.

I invited my two good friends to have a cup of hot coffee a few blocks away from the Park. They agreed with me, so we walked to this place that neither of us had ever been before. When we were ordering we noticed that they were setting a small stage with a camera, speakers and a microphone. We thought it was normal since it was Friday and maybe locals go there to have coffee and listen to live music. Each of us grabbed a chair and sat down, we started to talk about strategies for future events, but at the same time we were curious and waited to see what was the show about. We noticed that every person, mostly High School students and young adults, arrived with a guitar on their hands. In less than 10 minutes, about 40 people gathered in the small coffee shop, the six tables were rapidly occupied by them. People started to wait outside of the coffee place, some started to prepare their numbers, and others just stood there waiting for the performance. One of them announced that they will start at 6:40 p.m. and that they only could play 3 songs. After making more adjustments to the microphone, he announced the first person: Julio Soriano Soriano. I believe that besides us three, he was the only Latino there. In the middle of different conversations among the people inside the coffee place, the espresso machine and the rainfall, he approached the crowd by introducing himself. He said something about a mix of Native Indian and Mexican, Illegal Immigrants, and he did not have a guitar with him. These three things got my attention. Then he started to read a poem of his own inspiration. The crowd started to quite down to the point that only his words and his breath were left in the room: “Just imagine! A human wannabe asking for fair wages? Asking for representation, opportunity and justice. Absurd!”

In the less expected place, his words came and reminded me that I have to keep my faith and hope up high because sooner or later, there will be a change in this world where everyone will be treated equally regardless of race, religious beliefs, or gender. To me, he was like a messenger from God. Maybe I am simply doing my job too: Fulfilling and manifesting my destiny.

Marisa Loza

Immigration Consultant

Enjoy this young man poetry.

The Illegal Extraterrestrial

I was born here on earth.
Born from two human parents.
For as long as I can remember
I have lived among the human species.

I can see, touch, and taste.
I can hear and speak.
I have a family; I have emotions.

I’m able to love.

I’m able to hate.

I’m able to cry.

I’m able smile.

I have the same organs that everyone else has.

I have only one brain, only one heart, just two lungs.

Still don’t believe me?

Well, I have 46 chromosomes.

You can check my DNA if you want.

I promise I’m really the same as you.

I’m sorry undocumented immigrant, whoops,

Did I say undocumented immigrant? I meant illegal alien.

Lets not go and call you undocumented immigrant.

We don’t want you poking around thinking that

You have a chance to be like us humans.

Just imagine! A human wannabe asking for fair wages?

Asking for representation, opportunity and justice.

Absurd!

What about us you say, we’re immigrants too?

Well, you see,

We’re the GOOD kind of immigrants.

We were chosen by God.

When we came into these lands, we were simple doing our job:

Fulfilling our Manifest Destiny.

We came to civilize the savage beings of the Americas.

We actually brought goodness to these lands. We made it a better place.

See those great concrete cities spread across the nation? We made them.

See the millions and millions of great cars? We made those too.

See the vast fertile fields with grains, fruits and vegetables? We put those there and removed the savages.

This nation, in fact the whole world, should be grateful for our existence.

Unlike you, who brings nothing useful. You’re just an annoying pest.

You, illegal person, you are not one of us.

You can’t come to us and demand complete human rights and equality.

Or we’ll spend millions of dollars hunting you down when you are no longer needed.

Don’t complain if we take your illegal mother from you and throw her out.

Don’t start crying when your baby is left without parents.

Stay away when we don’t need you or we’ll spend another billion to make the New Great Concrete Wall bigger and better.

But if I’m illegal, does that make everything I touch also illegal?

Why do you eat the fruit I pick with my illegal hands?

Why do you drink the wine that comes from illegal hands?

And why do you go into a restroom and defecate in the toilet that is cleaned by illegal hands?

If I’m illegal, does the air I exhale 50,000 times a day become illegal?

Does it make everyone else who breaths a molecule from it illegal?

Does it make them my accomplices?

What if I die and my body decomposes?

Does my carbon body that disassembles into infinitely many pieces and becomes part of plants and animals still remain illegal?

It must, matter cannot be created or destroyed right?

No, you are wrong, you are not one of us.

Since your annoying me,I’m going to throw you back into you’re illegal home.

Sorry, there is no time to say goodbye to your friends and family.

Hopefully you’ll know which way to go when we dump you over the border into a city where you have never been before.

Well, you, illegal alien

--whose existence is illegal and unrecognized--

Have a nice trip!

After the person is kicked out, a light approaches her and says:

You are not an illegal alien.

But everyone seems to be an alien to this planet.

If we really belonged here then we wouldn’t be destroying our own planet.

We wouldn’t harm human kind.

We wouldn’t use people for labor and then kick them out when we were no longer needed them.

We wouldn’t spend great sums of money on things that destroy, rather than on things that create.

What kind of human beings would have readily available weapons capable of destroying every continent several times over?

What kind of species consumes so much that it causes other species to become extinct.

Would the people from this beautiful planet really allow genocide after genocide to occur?

Don’t worry; you are not an illegal alien.

After all, others tell me that you didn’t cross the border, the border crossed you. Because your family used to live here, but a group of men drew borders on a map and redistributed the land to their advantage.

You have done nothing wrong don’t worry.

But the person was still sad.

She had left part of her family on both sides of the men-made border.

She wished she really was an alien, so that her alien family could come and take her away in a spaceship.

Then she could go wherever she wanted.

Maybe people cared more about aliens than humans.

Maybe people would care more about her.

Julio Soriano Soriano