Immigration

The GOP’s ‘savior’ throws a hissyfit for his media villager base

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Posted  by AzBlueMeanie:

This is how the "lamestream" media functions — anytime a Republican politician has something to whine about, he or she is given a platform by the "lamestream" media to say it or they stenographically report it uncritically as "news."

Case in point over the weekend: The GOP's newly annointed "savior," Tea Party freshman Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, threw a hissyfit like a Mean Girls biotch over the weekend after USA Today published a leaked draft of an immigration reform plan being developed by the White House just in case the bipartisan negotiations in Congress fail to produce a legisaltive plan. "I"m the 'savior,' here! Didn't you see my TIME cover? It's my plan or no plan!"

Well actually, the draft plan being developed by the White House is nearly identical to Marco Rubio's plan, as one would expect because the plan Marco Rubio wishes to claim as his own is nearly identical to President Obama's immigration reform plan introduced in a May 2011 speech. "Big Gulp" Rubio is not an original thinker, as his conservative Kool-Aid response to the State of The Union Address last week made clear.

Arrests, deportations, protests: Is Tucson an immigrant-friendly city or not?

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On Sunday, Tucson Police and the Border Patrol arrested Rene Meza Huertha, in front of his wife and children, and arrested activist Raúl Alcaráz Ochoa, who was trying to prevent the arrest of Huertha. This action by TPD is in direct violation of the City Council's vote in August 2012– making Tucson an "immigrant friendly" city. From the Arizona Daily Star…

"We don't want people to feel fear when traveling to work, to school, to the store," [City Councilwoman Regina] Romero said before the meeting. "We also don't want people to be afraid to call the police to report a crime."

She said a conversation now will begin among the city, immigrant communities, businesses, the Tucson Police Department and others about how to make the city more welcoming.

Activists are calling for a protest and press conference today, Monday, February 18 at 4 p.m., outside of TPD. 

On a related note, the American Friends Service Committee, Border Links, Derechos Humanos, and other immigrant supporters, including the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, will hold a press conference and protest of Operation Streamline on Tuesday, February 19, at 12:30 at the Federal Courthouse. The Operation Streamline action leads up to a Congressional hearing on this policy on February 22 in DC. Details and background on both of these actions after the jump.

Asymmetrical opposition: Anti-immigrant GOP to engage in gay bashing to kill reforms

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The nativist and racist base of the GOP that is anti-immigrant and opposed to any immigration reforms that would create a pathway to citizenship has settled upon asymmetrical opposition: it will engage in gay bashing to kill any immigration reform legislation. "We're not against immigrants based upon their nationality or race — but no gays!"

This is a strategy to divide the religious community between those who support humane treatment for immigrants, and those who are fundamentally opposed to marriage equality based upon religious doctrine. These are often one and the same groups, e.g., the Catholic Church, so this asymmetrical strategy forces religious groups to choose between competing values.

Tea-Publicans are on the wrong side of public polling on both issues with majorities of Americans favoring both marriage equality and immigration reforms with a pathway to citizenship.

It remains to be seen whether the U.S. Supreme Court will derail this asymmetrical opposition with a landmark decision on marriage equality this year before the immigration reforms come up for a final vote in Congress.

The Washington Post reports, In immigration debate, same-sex marriage comes to the fore:

President Obama is aiming to grant same-sex couples. . . equal immigration rights as their
heterosexual counterparts.

But the measure has inspired fierce pushback from congressional
Republicans and some religious groups, who say it could sink hopes for a
comprehensive agreement aimed at providing a path to citizenship for 11
million undocumented immigrants.

We have already achieved the border security metrics of the 2007 bill

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Suzy Khimm at Ezra Klein's Wonkblog has a response to the hysterical anti-immigrant nativists like Governor Jan Brewer: Want tighter border security? You’re already getting it.

Legislators have failed to pass a sweeping immigration overhaul for more
than five years. But there’s one piece of the 2007 immigration reform
bill that they’ve managed to accomplish: pouring hundreds of millions of
dollars into border security.

Under the Senate’s new blueprint
for reform, the legalization of undocumented immigrants would only
happen if the government “finally commit[s] the resources needed to
secure the border,” as well as strict visa enforcement for legal
immigrants. It’s a provision that’s similar to Bush’s 2007 immigration
bill, which also made legalization contingent on beefed-up border
security.

The Senate’s language suggests that the government has held back from
devoting money, equipment and personnel to border security. In fact,
even though the 2007 immigration bill ultimately failed, we’ve
nevertheless hit nearly all of the targets that it established for
increased border security—except for achieving absolute “operational
control” of the border and mandatory detention of all border-crossers
who’ve been apprehended.

President Obama’s immigration reform speech in Las Vegas, Nevada

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The first thing you should know is that the immigration reforms outlined today by President Obama in a speech in Las Vegas, Nevada are remarkably similar to the immigration reforms he outlined in a speech in El Paso, Texas in May 2011, a Blueprint for Building a 21st Century Immigration System (pdf).

Here is the Fact Sheet from today's speech. FACT SHEET: Fixing our Broken Immigration System so Everyone Plays by the Rules.

Here is the transcript of prepared Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform. (excerpts):

Now, during my first term, we took steps to try and patch up some of the worst cracks in the system.

First, we strengthened security at the borders so that we could finally
stem the tide of illegal immigrants.  We put more boots on the ground
on the southern border than at any time in our history.  And today,
illegal crossings are down nearly 80 percent from their peak in 2000. 
(Applause.)

Second, we focused our enforcement efforts on criminals who are here
illegally and who endanger our communities.  And today, deportations of
criminals is at its highest level ever.  (Applause.)