Obama Meeting on Immigration Reform, A Pre-Emptive Strike Against Demonstration?
By Diego Graglia &bull 3/08/10 • Categorized as Immigration News,Immigration Reform 
Immigration activists marched on the Capitol last October. (Photo: Jelena Kopanja/Fi2W)
President Barack Obama will sit down with Sens. Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham to finally talk immigration reform this evening. However, after more than a year of kicking the politically-divisive issue down the road, doubts linger on whether he may be just trying to reduce the impact of a potentially massive march for immigration reform to take place in Washington in less than two weeks.
The March For America is organized by a nationwide coalition of pro-reform activists, including unions, religious groups like the Catholic bishops’ conference, Asian American and Hispanic organizations, and others. They collaborate under the umbrella of the Reform Immigration For America campaign.
According to the organizers’ website, buses will depart from as far as Florida, Iowa and Tennessee to join the March 21 demonstration. The coalition expects “tens of thousands” of demonstrators, according to an article by Ali Noorani, director of the National Immigration Forum, on The Huffington Post.
Noorani said a caravan has already departed from Phoenix and will stop in Houston and New Orleans, among other locations, before reaching the nation’s capital.
On the day of the march, under the slogan “Change Takes Courage,” marchers will congregate in front of a stage draped in American flags with the Capitol as a backdrop, Noorani said. There will be an interfaith service led by 5,000 religious leaders, he added, “calling for the best of America to come together and welcome the stranger.”
This evening, Obama will discuss the immigration bill on which Schumer and Graham have been working. Conspicuously absent will be another legislator, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who has introduced his own, more progressive initiative in the House. Schumer has in the past outlined his principles for reform, which lean towards a heavier focus on enforcement rather than on family reunification or humane reforms to the immigration system.
Activists are not blind to the fact that Obama has not pursued immigration reform with the intensity nor the speed he had promised. Chicago activist Joshua Hoyt, who says he knows Obama since 1986, wrote last week that, while “the Obama administration was on track to deport some 400,000 immigrants” in its first year,
“The sense of betrayal among Latinos — especially immigrants — is palpable, just as it was after Obama’s 2006 vote on the border fence.”
Jennifer McFadyen, immigration blogger at About.com, saw a political maneuver in Monday’s meeting:
“I think the timing has less to do with midterm elections and more to do with the thousands of immigration activists that will be knocking on Obama’s front door in a couple of weeks.”
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Why can’t obama understand that the American people DO NOT want amnesty for these illegal aliens? Why can’t he understand that. Illegal aliens are destroying this Country and obama is helping them to do it.
How much longer do we have to support these illegal aliens? How much longer do we have to school their illegal alien children? How much longer are we going to let them have our jobs? How much longer are we going to put up with all the crime, stolen identities, forged documents, fake green cards? How much longer are we going to allow these illegal aliens to send money out of this Country and bring our Country down? Oh, amnesty will correct all this. WRONG! Nothing will change except we wouldn’t be able to call them illegal aliens any more. Let’s get rid of these illegal aliens! Let’s get them back to their own Country where they belong with their families.
I’m from Delaware, and we are pressing to get the Oklahoma State Illegal Immigration Law, HB 1804. passed here in Delaware. Three years ago we had about 32,000 illegal aliens here. Today we have about 68,000 illegal aliens here. We have had it! We want our State back!
ENFORCE THE LAWS, OBAMA! NO AMNESTY!
Obama must lead on immigration. No more excuses. Millions are suffering. Racism must NOT win(I am talking to you, sad excuses for a human being, Senators Sessions, DeMint, and Vitter). Talk about the South, stereotypes, and good’ole boys.
Everyone knows that whatever new law enforcement efforts are added to this new immigration reform will be systematically ignored, just as the original 1986 immigration law enforcement efforts were. If you can get an amnesty, none of the enforcement efforts will matter, and in a few more years you can push for much more open borders.
Ivan up above and others who desperately try to tie racism into people against illegal immigration crack me up, it is both desperate and pathetic. Everybody knows that illegal is not a race and that most Americans are very welcoming to those who come to our country Legally. Thousands of immigrants go through the legal process and come to our country Legally. What makes illegals think they are more important than those who do it the right way? And why on earth do they just not come here legally in the first place? Thousands do. Those who sneak in and then have the nerve to tell us that we need to change our own laws to accomadate them will never..even with amnesty, have respect from the American people…just like they don’t respect us or our laws. And those who say that families are being torn apart, give me a break, they put their self into that situation, they knew what could happen and they Chose to do it anyway. And if they don’t want to be torn apart, well there is always the option of the entire family leaving together. Also yeah, maybe they had it bad in their own country, maybe even by no fault of their own…but it is not America’s fault either. We owe them nothing. Why do they not take a stand in their own country instead of being so hell bent on destroying ours. It’s disgusting.
Hi All,
Please refer to the above heading i.e. ” Obama Meeting on Immigration Reform, A Pre-Emptive Strike Against Demonstration? “. I do believe that Obama sincerely wants to effect the comprehensive immigration reform immediately. However since in the past there have been moves towards it but not sustained which perhaps give people the impression that this time too the same may happen and I hope he does not get affected by bad advice. I think it will help Obama if the Demonstration on March 21 in Washington DC is very strong as it will enable quick and sustained action till the comprehensive immigration reform is passed without any more interruptions. I also like to give my following comment:
America is a country of immigrants. People who came here have always been very hard working and determined to make a great name for this country and for themselves and surely thenceforth this country has become the greatest on earth. All people who came here made great sacrifices and worked harder than even the citizens and under very difficult circumstances and thus contributed even greater than the citizens for a better future for America and for themselves. No wonder this country has thence become the best in the world. To discourage immigrants, who are competing in a global economy and thus contributing even more than the citizens is thus detrimental to the continued greatness and prosperity of our country..
Henceforth recent studies conducted by experts and universities continue to show that legalizing the immigrants, who are not criminals or drug traffickers is in the best interest of our country’s economy and prosperity
I thus think that passing of the comprehensive immigration reform immediately is in the best interest of Americans and our country. It will only continue to keep our country prosperous and great.
By the way I may also add that despite the current down economy, analysts point out that previous legislation in the 1980s was also passed in the midst of hard times. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 led to the legalization of 2.7 million “illegal” workers, but did not lead to greater unemployment. Wages also rose 15-20% in the following two decades, the study found. Data also suggests that a policy of mass deportation of migrants in the 1930s worsened the economic crisis.
It is thus plain commonsense that Comprehensive Immigration Reform be passed immediately to help continue to keep our country great and prosperous or else we could well start losing our greatness and prosperity in this Global Economy. It will also save the sufferings of many who are contributing greatly to our country’s progress.
Hence it will be beneficial economically and politically
Very well said Fair Thinker.
America is currently a nation of majority native born citizens. This outdated unlimited expansionist mentality is going to ruin this country . We are out of space and resources. We Americans are not immigrants for the most part. I was born here, were you not? If you were not and are a citizen, I have a great admiration for your efforts to become a citizen. Saying that some born here is an immigrant just because their ancestors were is nonsense. I am not a Doctor because my parent was, nor am I am criminal if my parent was.
america was built by immigrants. our ancestors built this land and it is by their sweat and tears and by the hand of GOD that america is great. i am fortunate that i was born in such a great country. but on some part i am also ashamed because the great melting pot of america has forgotten that we(our country) is made up of many, many peoples from all over the world.
who wouldn’t want to come to a land that offered a better opportunity to succeed in life? who wouldn’t want to make a better future for their children and grandchildren? i am american born and i grew up poor and know what it is to go to bed hungry and to watch my mom cry because my father left her with 8 children to raise on her own, wondering how she will feed and provide clothing and other things needed.and my mom did whatever she had to in order to take care of her children. if an american born parent does whatever for her own then why would we americans try and deny people coming into this country that are trying to do just what my mother did, and thats take care of their families!!!!!! i know many immigrant people(some legal and some illegal) out of all that i know they are all very hard workers who pay taxes to this country. a good bit of the work force is made up of these people that some want to kick out of this country. if the immigrants that so many wish would go away banned together for a day or a week and not one single person went into work it would cripple this country. america doesn’t want them but america sure doesn’t mind profitting from the sweat off their backs either.as far as they take american jobs? they do not!! however they do many jobs that people born here think is beneath them to do. this is my country and i love america. i wouldn’t have wanted to have been born any where else but this word belongs to GOD and we are all fleas on HIS dog, . we need to let those who have come here(by whatever means they got here) that are hard working tax payers alone. and worry about the ones who are selling drugs, robbing and killing people. thats who we need to get rid of. weather they be american citizens or illegal immigrants. also if you want people to come here legally then you need to make it easier for them to do it because they only do it illegally when there is no other option!!!!
I think you people need not judge them as Illegal immgrants they are human to, you act like they are animals well they ‘re not the Unites States should have thought about that before they gave them the thing we have like bank accounts,credit cards and even able to buy a house and cars they have the same opions as we do to buy these things. I am married to a man who is from another country from what you call illegal immigrant he human he pays taxes just like we do and i think you all are taking this to much to far making it bigger than it really is. I think you need to give them a chance. put your self in there place what if it was you in there shoes would you try to come over to make a better life or what. You people who think we should just throw them back dont think of the situations people might be in they here to work and have a life not take other people jobs hell people who have legal paper dont even want to work they sit on corners so people can give them money, just because they dont want to work so how that and there white people and have legal paper to work how many illegal immigrant do you see on corners asking for money. They work to make money and very liitle money because they dont have legal
document so how thaT. So it ok to be on the streets asking for money instead of working for it. You no many
white man who have contruction companys perfer illegals because they work hard and it has been said on TV by many who perfer illegals over people who have legal status to work. so for those who think they should go back well I think they should stay and I hope the reform bill goes through so these people dont have to worry about having raids go on in walmarts, heb any other places that pretty sad . They cant even buy grocerys because they afraid. This land used to belong to spanish a white man took it from them so hows that they made him sign over this land. why dont you read up on this. You only want to hear what you want to hear not the facts.
This is a great time for this MARCH OF PARASITES . The American people have had enough of these invaders and this will be the AWAKENING America needs ! With all thats going on can you believe thousands of criminials will be in our Nations Capitol “DEMANDING” we reward them with Citizenship ! And these sad politicians who have made this possible should be deported with them! Send these ILLEGAL ALIENS HOME !