Cross-posted at Huffington Post.
We couldn’t agree more with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) when he says President Obama:
“…Must lead on immigration by offering specific proposals to secure our borders, upholding the rule of law and treating illegal immigrants with justice and compassion.”
But saying the right thing is not the same as doing the right thing.
Though Sen. Cornyn has consistently said we need comprehensive immigration reform, he has also consistently voted against it – even when there was a bill strongly supported by a Republican administration. Cornyn’s actions don’t match his words and that’s the kind of “consistency” real supporters of immigration reform can do without.
It makes us wonder if Cornyn has been giving these same mixed messages to his constituents in Texas. The political landscape in Texas is changing rapidly, in large part because of Latinos:
Latinos comprise 63% of the population growth in Texas since 2000 and are the single largest reason that the state is projected to gain four seats in the U.S. House—the greatest change, positive or negative, among any state in the nation.
And, Latinos care deeply about immigration reform. In fact, a recent poll of Latino voters “found that 84% of Latino voters think it is either ‘important, very important, or extremely important’ that immigration reform is enacted before the 2010 midterm elections.”
Cornyn serves as a member of the Republican leadership in the Senate. He chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is GOP’s campaign committee. From that perch, Cornyn should also be urging his fellow Republicans to follow suit. As a side note, when the immigration debate began back in 2006, the Senate GOP caucus had 55 members. Today, there are 40. And, the Democrat who chaired the Democrat’s campaign committee in 2006 and 2008, Chuck Schumer, is leading the effort to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year.
Yesterday we blogged about the catastrophic devastation in Haiti as a result of this week’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake.
Here are three ways to stand with Haiti right now:
1. Donate to the relief efforts. Give to organizations working in Haiti like Partners in Health. You can also contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting “HAITI” to “90999.”
2. Sign a petition by CREDO Mobile (a progressive mobile and online advocacy network) or Catholics United to President Obama. Both are also fighting for long-overdue Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants already living in the United States.
3. Blog about this and spread the word on twitter, facebook… you name it.
This post is a weekly feature by Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger.
On Tuesday, the worst earthquake in 200 years struck just off the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as The Nation reports. Bringing “catastrophic destruction” to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the disaster has spurred relief efforts worldwide. Crises like this are important reminders of how the treatment and protection of refugees must be a part of immigration reform.
Temporary protected status for Haitian refugees
In September of 2009—just one year after Haiti was decimated by four successive hurricanes and tropical storms that affected at least 3 million people—New America Media (NAM) made a prescient call to halt all deportation to Haiti, and grant Haitians temporary protected status (TPS) status in the U.S. “before more Haitians die or are impacted by natural disasters.”
Andrea Nill, writing for NAM’s EthnoBlog, reminds us it was only ten months ago, in March of 2009 that the Obama administration indicated it would “continue deporting undocumented Haitians,” in spite of the critical situation on the ground. Yesterday, Nill argued that not granting Haitian refugees TPS at this point would be “inconsistent with the promises the Obama administration has already made to the people of Haiti.” Later in the day, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano responded by stating deportations to Haiti would, indeed, be temporarily halted.
[ED. NOTE: Stay tuned for more coverage of Haiti and relief efforts. The Media Consortium will release a special report compiling our member's coverage of the crisis and ways to help later today.]
Legalize the undocumented; boost the economy
It’s a fortunate confluence of circumstance, when doing the right thing could also help our faltering economy. Jorge Rivas of RaceWire highlights a new study on the beneficial economic effects of legalizing undocumented workers through comprehensive immigration reform. The study came about through a partnership between the Center for American Progress and Dr. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. The research suggests that legalization would yield $1.5 trillion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product over a 10-year period, generate billions of dollars in additional tax revenue, increase wages for all levels of workers in the U.S. (the “wage floor”) and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The immigration reform movement is more sophisticated than ever, encompassing a greater diversity of support among various sectors of American society. As the immigration debate heats up this year, America’s Voice today releases a special report, “Immigration Reform: Know the Players,” providing an indispensable reference for anyone following the issue of immigration reform.
The series, which was originally published in Spanish on MaribelHastings.com in eight thematic installments, provides background information, statistics, and other detailed information on the roles played in the urgent battle for reform by the following groups of supporters: law enforcement; undocumented students; anti-immigrant groups; the pro-immigrant movement; faith communities; farmers and agricultural laborers; business and labor interests; and, of course, the main actors: the White House, Senate and House of Representatives.
Click here to download a copy of the series “Immigration Reform: Know the Players,” or listen to the audio actuality here.
This is a guest post from Reprentative Mike Honda and originally appeared on his blog and the Asian Pacific Americans for Progress blog.
On December 15, 2009, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) strongly supported the introduction of comprehensive immigration reform legislation by Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), H.R. 4321, includes CAPAC’s top immigration priorities, including: Ensuring a robust family reunification system, earned legalization for undocumented workers and DREAM Act students, the restoration of due process and judicial review in our immigration system, humane treatment of immigration detainees, and the integration of new American communities. CAPAC members joined a diverse coalition of Members of Congress as cosponsors to the legislation.
As chair of CAPAC, I am thankful for Rep. Gutierrez’s passionate advocacy for comprehensive immigration reform. I was proud to represent the 1.5 million undocumented Asian immigrants living in the shadows and the millions of Asian and Pacific Islander family members caught in endless backlogs waiting to reunite with loved ones. Immigrants built this country and their contributions should be recognized with a fair and humane immigration system. I and CAPAC will continue to work closely with President Obama, congressional leadership, and the Congressional Black, Hispanic, and Progressive Caucuses to enact comprehensive immigration reform. Asian and Pacific Islander voices must be heard in this debate, and I’m proud that CAPAC members stood alongside a diverse coalition that is excited and ready to advance immigration legislation.
I was particularly pleased that CAPAC endorsed this bill which incorporates my Reuniting Families Act to reduce and eliminate our backlogs and ensure family reunification remains a cornerstone of our immigration system. Further, this bill honors the contributions of World War II Filipino veterans by exempting their children from numerical limitations on immigrant visas.
