Why has immigration reform failed so miserably in Congress?
Why has the term "immigrant" evolved into such a piranha that Congressional representatives will distance themselves from it?
Why does there exist a fanaticism against the immigration issue, not outside the halls of Congress but within its very corridors?
Though the extreme right-wing bloggers would love to take all the credit, come to find out it's not them who are purposely setting up the roadblocks and getting the 11th hour changes of heart from Congressional members who previously were supportive of immigration reform measures.
And as much credit is given to the "American People" as some Congressional representatives repeatedly like to cite, it's common knowledge that the American People don't have and never had anywhere near the kind of influence that is responsible for derailing action on immigration reform.
So who is it that has this kind of influence and unprecedented access to our Congress and system of government?
It's our Congress, or to be more exact, 110 members of the House of Representatives who make up the largest ideological caucus in our government known as the Immigration Reform Caucus.
In a new report released today by the Building Democracy Initiative titled Nativism in the House, the existence of the Immigration Reform Caucus is revealed with an in-depth analysis of this all-white, highly influential group which coincidentally (written sarcastically) was the brainchild of Rep. Tom Tancredo -- the subject of Latina Lista's post yesterday.
While it would be easy to dismiss this report since it comes from a group obviously sympathetic to the resolution of the immigration issue, it must be acknowledged that the report deals with facts that were easily obtainable through public records kept on voting practices, precinct demographics, bill sponsorships, and of course, information on the Caucus' own web site.
In looking at this documentation, the report's researchers uncovered some very disturbing points:
* Despite Caucus members' focus on strict border control and harsh anti-immigrant legislation, the median Hispanic population is only 4% in caucus members' districts. Although it is assumed that nativist and anti-immigrant politics are driven by economic resentment, most HIRC members are not elected from districts that share a common demographic or economic character.* While vocally supportive of American workers, 86 out of the Caucus's 110 members scored zero in support of workers' rights, as measured by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
* The overwhelming majority of HIRC members are from the furthest, hardest edge of the Republican Party's rightwing, only eight are Democrats, and the Caucus claims no African-American or Hispanic members. Many also regularly vote against civil rights and civil liberties concerns.
* Notwithstanding the Caucus' political character, its members have received campaign contributions from a surprisingly wide range of sources, including ones not typically associated with anti-immigrant policies such as AT&T, the American Medical Association, and Home Depot. In addition, Caucus members receive funding from nativist sources such as the Minuteman PAC as well as from ultra-conservative sources such as the Eagle Forum and the Club for Growth.
* The election of Rep. Brian Bilbray as the HIRC chairman is likely to cement the already symbiotic relationship between fringe anti-immigrant advocacy groups and caucus members. Rep. Bilbray is himself a former lobbyist for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a controversial anti-immigrant organization that holds questionable ties to white nationalist and nativist groups. Likewise, the former HIRC director is now working at FAIR as a Government Relations Associate.
* Most recently, HIRC members have begun to actively promote legislation aimed at gutting the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which is the amendment that granted African-Americans full suffrage following the civil war. As of the time of the report's printing, 90 members of the House of Representatives signed on as co-sponsors to legislation aimed at nullifying the Fourteenth Amendment's "birthright" provision.
From all outward appearances: bills sponsored, political rhetoric, voting patterns, organizational affiliations, this group has more in common with the Ku Klux Klan than a mere caucus promoting a benign political cause.
In fact, by calling themselves the Immigration Reform Caucus (IRC), they deflect any hint that their agenda relies heavily on extremism, racism and ethnic oppression rather than actively working to find a true solution that benefits all Americans.
By hiding behind the IRC name, they don't alarm anyone -- voters or their fellow Congressional representatives -- that such an extremist group has infiltrated the very halls of our government. They are merely seen as another special interest group that feels strongly about their cause.
Yet, what is different about this group is that they are not outsiders looking in -- they are insiders, passing bad information under the guise of doing it for the American people.
in his grave. I say 'build the border fence',
because we're primarily talking about Mexico,
here, and take issue with a lot of these
companies that've voted their version of 'reform' by paying huge donations to people's
campaigns. Cut off the cheap labor, and
see how many of these outfits 'globalize'...LOL
"Immigration Reform" Defined:
1. Corporate view: allow businesses to import slave labor in unlimited numbers. Slave labor to work for slave wages without any benefits or any safeguards.
2. Illegal immigrants view: amnesty for every person who is here illegally. And let all their friends and family come here too, as many as want to, forever.
3. Citizen view: enforce the laws we have on the books. Stop allowing illegal immigrants to work in the U.S. Throw the owners of businesses who hire illegal immigrants into prison, after fining them $1,000/day for each illegal immigrant hired, and using that money to fund unemployment for all the Americans who have been thrown out of work.
4. Mexican government view: let all the young poor people from Mexico move to the U.S. by the millions so they can work and send money home to their poor families, while the government of Mexico works only to protect the multi-millionaires and drug dealers and refuses to provide its own people with education, sanitation, healthcare, and employment.
The employers who hire them for cheap labor should also paid big fines and if needed jail time, they also are breaking our laws.
What most people forget is that whether it is violating laws to stop pollution, violating laws to protect wildlife, violating laws on discrimination, or violating any other body of law, by saying that it is okay to break one law is in effect saying it is okay to break all laws. Saying I don’t agree with that law so I am going to break it just does not cut it. And saying that a law is bad without learning why is exists is equally bad. If it is okay to break immigration law and commit document fraud and identity theft to by coming to the U.S. illegally is it not also okay hunt endangered species, pollute the countryside with dangerous chemicals, or treat people differently based on their skin color or sex? You loose all credibility in expecting law enforcement to anything about enforcing laws you actually like if you refuse to obey laws you do not agree with.
Immigration Laws exist for some very good economic reasons that have nothing to do with racism or nativism. Yet those who want to change them will not discuss the laws on their own merit. Instead they attack supporters based on their politics. That is not good.
In case you haven't noticed, this isn't a partisan issue where you can divide the people into dems and repubs. This is an issue that has brought us all together so yes I hope Congress is listening.
And, I'm pretty sure that blacks and Latinos aren't forbidden from joining the HIRC. In fact, I'm sure they'd be welcomed as long as they subscribed to the group's support of our laws. The problem, of course, is that all Latino Congresspeople that I'm aware of don't support our laws when it concerns others of their race. In fact, many of them are outright racial demagogues, such as Luis Gutierrez.
And, some of them are even willing to stand with Mexican politicians in Washington DC and push for "reform", such as Hilda Solis.
Refuting the claims of the BD group is as easy as it is worthless, but as for workers rights, let me suggest a way for you to help: stop supporting lowering wages through massive illegal immigration.
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It is really hard to take seriously anyone who insists on continually using "immigrant" when talking about "illegal immigrant" (or I give you your false political correctness "undocumented immigrant").
Either way its is a direct insult to every immigrant in this country to cavalierly lump them together with trespassers. Any one who does this, does not deserve to be taken seriously on the subject.
It is the same for those who insist that amnesty is true "immigration" reform.
And, wonders of wonders, we are told what nefarious group has unprecedented access and influence in congress. Why it is members of congress.
Amazing. Who would have thought that? Congresspeople are suppose to just sit there--certainly not influence any of their colleagues--and vote but only if their vote agrees with the author. This has to be a parody.
Before you go off on my name, I'm not Mexican I'm Cuban and a native born American citizen, even though I was born in Cuba. That said I don't see any agitation to rescind the law allowing any Cuban who makes it to US soil the automatic right to remain here. Since the dispute with Cuba is over the choice of economic systems maybe we should just declare Mexico an economic tyranny and then all the "illegal immigrants" will be economic refugees and we can feel good about letting them stay while they pay into a Social Security system they can never collect from (not being citizens) thus ensuring your comfortable old age and assuaging whatever you have that might pass for a conscience.