McCain Dodges Immigration Issue As Feds Advertise Voluntary Deportation Program
By Suman Raghunathan
While reform groups like The Sanctuary grow increasingly frustrated with campaign "tip-toeing" and "lip service" on immigration, federal authorities are enlisting ethnic media in their efforts to encourage the nation’s undocumented immigrants to deport themselves as part of a pilot program called 'Operation Scheduled Departure', first reported on last week by the blog Feet in 2 Worlds.
The Sanctuary recently distributed a call for presidential candidates Obama and McCain to answer what the organization called a "comprehensive survey on Latino issues." Since both candidates have been courting the Latino vote, the Sanctuary editors wrote in a press release, we wanted open and honest information about their positions. "We were tired of seeing the candidates tip-toe around the issues and merely pay lip service. So we created this questionnaire posing specific policy questions for the candidates to answer," said Sanctuary editor Edmundo Rocha.
The Obama campaign has responded and the McCain Campaign has not.
Meantime, The Associated Press reported yesterday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration law, is placing ads via ethnic media in many of the five major cities where the new Operation Scheduled Departure" program is being implemented: Santa Ana and San Diego, CA; Phoenix; Charlotte, NC; and Chicago. The media outlets running the paid advertisements include major newspapers such as La Prensa Hispana in Phoenix. Popular Spanish- and Polish-language radio stations such as WPNA 1490 AM in Chicago were also contacted by ICE to run the ads.
So far, no ads have been taken out in mainstream English-language outlets in the cities included in the pilot program.
Operation Scheduled Departure” encourages undocumented immigrants without criminal records to turn themselves in to ICE. In return for coming forward and agreeing to leave the country, immigrants will not be detained and will have 90 days to “get their affairs in order.” They will also receive paid travel back to their home countries (by bus for those going to Mexico, by air for those returning to other countries). The program is slated to run for a pilot period that began August 5th and continues to August 22nd.
The ad from yesterday's online edition of Phoenix's La Prensa Hispana reads, "If you aren't the only person who must leave the country, ICE can help with necessary arrangements so your family can return with you."
ICE's outreach plan also keeps pace with the growing power and reach of the nation's ethnic media, particularly print and television outlets. The nation's Spanish-language media is increasing its market share of television viewers to a level never seen before: the evening newscast on WXTV, Telemundo's channel 41 in the metropolitan New York region, is now the number one newscast among all viewers below age 49 in metropolitan New York-New Jersey.
Notice of 'Operation Scheduled Departure' was leaked to the general public with a mention on 'Al Punto', a popular news and public affairs program on Univisión, the national Spanish-language television behemoth.
The program has been ridiculed by immigrant rights groups, who note the program does not provide any other incentives for undocumented immigrants, many of them with families that include US citizen children, to come forward.
Josh Hoyt, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, (based in Chicago, one of the program's five cities) noted,
"This is a silly idea...[and] another one of these fantasy ideas of the political season. The vast majority of immigrants are trying to stay in the U.S. because they have American citizen children, they have homes and they have jobs they’ve been working at for years."
So far, only one individual in the entire country -- in Phoenix, AZ -- has come forward to take part in the program, according to the Associated Press.
'Operation Scheduled Departure' comes at a time of widespread frustration and national debate over immigration policy and reform. In the absence of federal immigration reform, state and local governments are searching for ways to address immigration policy: the National Conference of State Legislatures reports that more than 175 immigration-related laws or resolutions have been passed at the state and local levels as of the end of June 2008.
Read more at Feet in 2 Worlds.
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Although I am a Obama supporter, I do not agree with the pass the Democratic Party seems to have when it comes to Illegal immigration. LEGAL immigration is fine, and were it not for my ancestors immigrating LEGALLY from Ireland, I would not be here today, but, just because you broke the law and slipped into this country and had children, does not make it right.
My 22 year old son, who has no health insurance because he is a full time student, and I have no insurance for myself because my job does not offer insurance, was recently charged $1,322.00 for an emergency room visit for a cut he received after Clinic hours, needing four stitches.
It will take us years to pay off and I can't help but wonder if it weren't for all the illegal immigrants driving the cost of an emergency room visit through the roof, that a simple procedure as my son's would have been much, much more reasonable.
Our party (Dems) can be sympathetic to people who want a better life without causing Americans to suffer for this cause.
If we could afford supporting the Illegals, we would do it. We cannot. Illegal immigrants cause a lot of traffic accidents and do not have the means to pay the damages and further, they disappear. No way to track them. If we can't track immigrants involved in accidents, then we can't track Terrorists! The Illegals in our prisons, which the taxpayer supports, should be deported to their own country. We have enough of our own criminals to support.
Illegals impact our taxes in that many are supported by the welfare system. Republicans believe we should all support ourselves and I am sorry, but I think they are right. Drive down the street and all the businesses, although mostly fast food and hotels, have signs up, "Now Hiring." We need to look at our attitudes about supporting everyone as it is difficult to support ourselves. It's not that we wouldn't support them, we just cannot afford it. Not only are health & pharmaceutical costs astronomical, but look at the costs of mortgages, utilities (gas, water & lights), fuel for vehicles and insurance for home and cars and general maintenance for home and vehicles. Kids always need shoes, clothes, equipment, school supplies and lunch is about $1.50 a day. Kids need immunization, dental/orthodontic, and pay when involved in athletic or music programs. We cannot support all these people. The deciding factor on Immigration is "Can you support yourself and your family?" If not, DEPORT!
We can't fence our way out of our immigration problem with illegals. The government has to go after the CEO's of the companies that give illegals jobs. There has to be large fines and jail time to scare companies into obeying the law. Regrettably both Obama and McCain intend to grant amnesty and citizenship. They see the illegals as a reliable voting block for whoever gives them amnesty. Even though illegals are lowering the wage standard for jobs and taking away jobs from Americans. We DO NOT have 12,000,000 illegals picking crops, they're lowering wages on construction sites and factories accross the country.
My Hispanic friends, who are citizens, are also angry about the federal government's refusal to protect our borders. Illegal immigrants have taken many of their jobs. Opposing Hispanic gangs have popped up as a result of this issue. They occasionally shoot each other and make it unsafe to attend community festivals.
20 million illegal aliens is not an illegal immigration problem. It is an invasion of unbelievable proportions. Of the many things that the feds are doing, one of their legal primary functions is to protect our borders and they refuse to do it.
They are more interested in illegally destroying our economy, robbing us of our wealth, and disrupting our social institutions on behalf of special interests.
They? Do you mean the Republicans?
No matter who entered the United States without 'THE PEOPLE'S' permission, they instantly became an illegal alien. They violated the sovereign rights of a country, but hundreds of our politicians (hired help) doesn't see it that way? That's because they are the puppets of the special interest lobby. No lawbreaker under any circumstances should have any right to violate our laws and be rewarded with a path to citizenship. They intentionally ignored our laws, crossed and even have the audacity to wave foreign flags at demonstrations, demanding rights.
Right now many have a chance to voluntary leave, be processed and have a chance at a later date to enter as a legal immigrant. In 80 percent of the American people ignorance of our laws is no excuse, and forfeited their right to any AMNESTY. No fines, learning English or anything else will ever make them legal. The Save ACT (H.R.4088) costs a pittance to enforce and fund ICE enforcement immigration laws. NUMBERSUSA, CAPSWEB are your uncensored answers to this major issue in NOVEMBER.
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