Tag Archives: DREAM Act

Houston Politics

At Long Last… THE Immigration Reform Bill

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After years of prognostication, we finally have the bi-partisan Senate draft for an Immigration Reform bill… as proposed by the Gang of 8. Interesting that it’s called the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013… likely at the insistence of Republican members.  (Update:  This Bill was PASSED by the Senate on June 27th)

But hey, whatever works. This bill actually seems a credible way to tackle the problem. And as long as it does that, I doubt Democrats will care what the name is. So here are the basics of how it would work…

1) Getting documents for the Undocumented. Under the proposal, undocumented persons will be able to receive an immediate, but limited legal status called RPI– Registered Provisional Immigrant Status– once they pass a criminal background check, submit proof that they were in the United States prior to December 31st 2011, and pay a $500 fine. RPI status can even be extended to persons that have been deported previously if they can demonstrate a relationship need to someone still in the country… mother or caretaker for a young child that is a citizen or DREAMer for example. This is a huge deal, because RPI status ends the threat of deportation for people that have otherwise obeyed US laws, and allows some people to come back and be reunited with their families. Persons in RPI status also have the ability to enter and exit the United States as though they were a citizen.

2) Border stuff . In order to make the bill more “attractive” to Republican lawmakers, the bill has some creative new language saying that the border must be “90 percent secure” by the Department of Homeland Security. If for some reason DHS cannot secure the border to 90 percent (how that measurement is determined is still beyond unclear), then an independent board has to offer stricter measures to reach that goal. Once someone is documented as an RPI, they will not be allowed to enter citizenship procedures until the border is deemed “secure”. This is the part of the bill that is kind of weird and a bit worrisome, but hopefully lawmakers can re-visit this once the main legislation is passed.

3) A real path to citizenship. Finally… this bill offers some credible pathways for people currently undocumented to obtain full United States citizenship. It may not be easy or fast for most, but at least it will be there. Assuming the border situation is settled, RPIs would then be able to obtain a Green Card AFTER 10 years of RPI status in the US. And herein lies the other complex issue. Citizenship decisions will be mostly Merit-based… that’s how they will determine who is granted citizenship, and when.

One more thing to note… anyone that has already been classified as a DREAMer will have a fast track through these processes. They only have to wait for 3 years to obtain a Green Card, and as soon as they have it, they can apply for US citizenship.

So the bill won’t be perfect, but it’s an important step in fixing one of our nation’s most dire needs. And it allows millions of families to stop living in fear. Check out the full text of the proposal, or this outline from scribd…

Outline of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013

Houston Politics

Immigration: “It’s not just policies… It’s about people.”

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On Tuesday, President Obama spoke to the nation in broad terms about his proposals for comprehensive Immigration reform. Of course, much of the reason for the broad terms is because he wasn’t proposing anything new.

The President’s speech on Immigration reform was short, and to the point. He didn’t mince words much, and simply asked Congress to get to work.

Watch the President’s full remarks here…

Houston Politics

Blake Farenthold: 16-yrs old “have a say” in illegal immigration

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This morning on CNN, US Congressman Blake Farenthold was pressed by Soledad O’Brien on why Congress has failed to act so often on Immigration reform. He insists that they have “acted”… after all, refusing to do anything is an action I guess.

But listen to the conversation they have around 1:20… he believes that if a child is 16, they “have a say” in whether or not to emigrate with their parents. Granted 16-yr old children are capable of a lot of things like what movies to see over the weekend or what to eat for lunch, but in the big decisions, I’m not sure I agree here.

What’s most “disturbing” about this… Rep. Farenthold’s district is on the US/Mexican Border at Brownsville, TX. Many people that emigrate illegally to the US aren’t just doing it for work permits. For some of them it’s a matter of life and death. Matamoros, Mexico is in the midst of a viscious drug war where residents are dodging bullets, grenade attacks, and being kidnapped in the middle of the night to be found the next day decapitated. No one is supporting illegal immigration here… it’s wrong. But given the realities of what some people face in their home country, I can understand why one would pick the lesser of two evils.

It sounds like Mr. Farenthold should do more than just boast about the immigration cases on his desk. Maybe he should open them up and actually LOOK at them.

Houston Politics

The ABCs of the GOP: F is for…

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FEAR

You know what they say about overly aggressive dogs… “Don’t worry, it’s bark is worse than it’s bite.” Most of the time, the same cliche applies in Washington. Politicians make a lot of huge promises during campaign time. They vilify the party opposite, and proclaim themselves to have all of the right answers. But once sworn in, they go behind closed doors, and try to come up with common-sense solutions.

But unfortunately, the days of common sense are over for the GOP. Their singular modus operandi has been reduced to its most primal, instictive core… FEAR. As for what they are afraid of? Well let’s see if we can figure that out.

The GOP is afraid of changing demographics. Much of this was covered in the letter E, but it is quite fitting that we were reminded today. During President Obama’s bold move to end deportation of young illegal immigrants “Dreamers” The Daily Kos’ Markos Moulitsas caught a rather interesting conflict between Fox News coverage and it’s affiliate Fox News Latino. On FNL, the reaction to Obama’s new policy seems quite positive, compared to its scathing counterparts on the Fox News and Fox News Nation main sites. The Romney campaign was “hesitant” to respond to the Presdient’s statement, finally criticizing the move for not being a “long-term solution”. It’s sufficient to say that their stance is fearful and weak.

To some extent, the GOP is afraid of Obama. Not of the man himself, nor of the office of the President. But the one thing they do know about him is that he is smart, and fair. No one is saying he does everything right, or that he’s been a perfect President, but they know that he is very good at representing his views. He’s a strong, centrist Democrat. That’s why they stop at nothing to portray him as a far-left, foriegn-born socialist. If they weren’t afraid of him, there wouldn’t be the need to make up and promote such exceptional lies. This fear has caused quite a mess for some GOP lawmakers. In order for Obama to be all of these terrible things, they first have to make him the enemy. That means they must present a united front against him, and can NEVER agree with him for any reason (especially in public). Some legislators like John McCain and Texas’ own Kay Bailey Hutchison have actually had to vote against legislation they originally co-sponsored once they found out the President would support it. And of course in 2010 Senator McCain of Arizona, who co-sponsored the DREAM Act, tucked tail and changed position to filibuster the bill during the Obama administration. Clearly they are afraid of giving any support to Obama, even if it is in concert with their own principles. Why would you do all of the work to sponsor a bill, then vote against it?? Here’s Rachel Maddow’s coverage of this very difficult scenario…

But the GOP’s greatest fear is not the threat of extinction or Democrats, or even President Obama. None of those things. The GOP’s greatest fear is itself. As their numbers have continued to wane and their views on social issues like Gay marriage and contraception become increasingly antequated, Republicans have been forced to latch on to the far-right in order to stay relevant. At first, this grand merger seemed workable, but now the extreme group is threatening every structural aspect of the party. They are driving out moderates, and leaving those that stand with them as hypocrites. Many people have said that Ronald Reagan couldn’t get elected in the contemporary GOP. I strongly suspect that they are correct.

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Time to DREAM: Obama’s new move on immigration

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In yet another historic and bold action, the Obama administration announced bold reforms on its immigration policy. The administration will now grant work VISAs to certain eligible youth and will cease deportations for those who qualify. Most persons affected by this policy change are younger illegal immigrants without a criminal record… those who have already lived in the US for most of their lives and were brought here by no fault of their own… commonly referred to as “DREAMers” because they are the ones who would benefit most from the DREAM Act.

The President gave a short and “impassioned” speech on the issue today, but was rudely interrupted by Neil Munro of the Daily Caller. Immediately, you could see President Obama become rife with anger at Munro’s lack of professionalism. The President pointed directly at him to make sure everyone present saw the interaction. This is next to unheard of in the press corps for a Rose Garden speech (here’s a link to the full remarks).

As you can see, Obama’s bold move has already ignited backlash from the right. Here’s the part of the official statement from Rep. Peter King…

“The Administration is overstepping its authority by weakening immigration laws without Congressional approval,” King said in an email. “I am very concerned about efforts to administratively implement amnesty for countless illegal aliens under the age of 30. It is vital that US borders are secure prior to any consideration of amnesty proposals.”

I find it interesting how Mr. King has phrased this, “without Congressional approval”. Here’s what is really important for anyone that supports the DREAM Act to know….

Simply put, Mr. King is lying. Congress did approve the DREAM Act back in 2010. It passed the House of Representatives under Nancy Pelosi 216-198. The bill also garnered a majority of votes in the Senate, 55-41 including Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Dick Lugar and Bob Bennett. Included in those “no” votes?? Senator John McCain, who actually co-sponsored the DREAM Act in 2001. The majority of Congress passed this bill, but because of the GOP filibuster, it died in the Senate. So if they want to accuse the President of “going too far” with this executive order, they should go right ahead. Republicans have been going too far since they decided to filibuster every major initiative of the Obama administration. It’s high time Obama and the Democrats fought fire with fire.

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The ABCs of the GOP: B is for…

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BULLYING

As the American people, we vote for our government officials, and we elect them to go to Washington to work on our behalf. The primary responsibility of of Congress is to make the nation’s laws. But from the current philosophy of the GOP, you wouldn’t know this. Their primary objective in Washington is to defeat President Obama at all costs.

Since the day President Obama was elected, Republican lawmakers have decided to use tactics of belligerence to get what they want. Eventhough the 2008 election came with sweeping majorities in the House and Senate, the GOP already had a plan to shut down the government in place using the Senate Filibuster, and you better believe it worked. With Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress, the Senate became a place of ultimate gridlock. Billions of dollars of government assistance that could have kept people in their jobs, helped states at a time of their most dire need, and spurred further economic development were kept from the American people because of a greedy few in the Senate GOP. Bills such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Credit Card Holder’s Bill of Rights Act, the National Defense Authorization Act, and even the DREAM Act were all passed by the House of Representatives under Nancy Pelosi.

Yes, the United States of America came within one breath of passing the DREAM Act. On December 8th, 2010 the US House passed the bill on a 216-198 vote. But thanks to Senate Republicans, it DIED.

It’s one thing to vote against a bill on principle… if you disagree strongly with something becoming a law, that is what the Filibuster is for. But bullying is entirely different. Take the 2010 Filibuster of Barbara Milano Keenan… an Obama nominee to the Federal Court in Virginia. GOP members of the Senate filibustered her nomination for 5 months, and what was their objection? Absolutely nothing. No one spoke against her qualifications, no one gave any reason why they couldn’t vote for her. She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate after their cry-baby move. 99-0 confirmation vote. This is more than typical bullying, but was a complete WASTE of taxpayer money.

Basically, the tactic back then was to obstruct government (and the President) from being able to accomplish anything. This slowed our pace of recovery sharply and resulted in millions of public sector job losses, just to make President Obama and Democrats look bad. We’re still feeling the effects of this today. Here’s a graph showing the history of the filibuster. Notice how its use doubles right after Obama is elected…

But the bullying and belligerence hasn’t stopped yet.

Remember Richard Grenell, Mitt Romney’s openly gay Foriegn Policy Spokesman who resigned after mounting pressure from the Far Right? No doubt that he was forced from his position solely because he was gay. But here’s the question… Mr. Grenell didn’t appear out of thin air to the GOP. He comes with a long list of foriegn policy accomplishments, and was appointed by President George W. Bush to a United Nations advisory role. He served as a spokesperson to four U.N. Ambassadors. This man was a real asset to the Romney campaign, and has been a faithful member of the GOP, but he was bullied from his position. Funny how Grenell was a Bush appointment, yet no one staged a hell-fire protest against him at the time. Maybe because they didn’t care if W supported gay people? But for some reason, if Mitt Romney does anything outside of their comfort zone, it’s unacceptable.

I have no personal dislike of Mitt Romney. Truthfully, I don’t think he would be a bad President. But it’s not Romney we should fear, it’s all the bullies that get elected with him, and his inability to stand up to them. He is now the leader of the Republican Party, yet he shows no courage to combat the wild extreme hate and rage within it. Bryan Fischer… leader of the American Family Association and a legendary bigot… says it best:

“If Mitt Romney can be pushed around, intimidated, coerced, co-opted by a conservative radio talk show host in Middle America, then how is he going to stand up to the Chinese? How is he going to stand up to Putin? How is he going to stand up to North Korea if he can be pushed around by a yokel like me? I don’t think Romney is realizing the doubts that this begins to raise about his leadership.”

The Rick Grenell scenario should tell us all we need to know about the current GOP. The party continues to put their own self interests ahead of the American People, and will stop at nothing to bully their way into total control.