Friday, January 18, 2013

Immigration Reform 2013: Obama's Plan vs Rubio's Plan

 
The President’s annual State of the Union address (SOTU) is scheduled on February 12, 2013. This speech is important because he will be outlining his key priorities for this fiscal year. Among his top priorities is Immigration reform. President Obama said he will present legislation in 2013.
Since 2006, Republicans have strongly opposed Immigration Reform. This year however, in lieu of their poor performance with Latino voters, Republicans are more inclined to support some form of Immigration reform. In fact, Marco Rubio has presented a proposal.  
President Obama has provided a high level view of his recommendations, so has Rubio. Let’s compare them:
OBAMA Plan: One Bill
Rubio: 6 Separate Bills
R Pass ?
PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP: PAY BACK TAXES, criminal background checks, learn English and paying a processing fee.
BILL1: PATHWAY TO Legal Status: PAY BACK TAXES, criminal background checks, learn English and paying a processing fee.. Then apply for Green Card & Potential Legal Status.
NO
Enhanced Border Security
Enhanced Border Security
YES
E-Verify: Enhanced enforcement on businesses that employ undocumented immigrants
BILL 3: E-Verify: Enhanced enforcement on businesses that employ undocumented immigrants
YES
Improving legal immigration: grants a green card to foreign students who earn advanced science and technology degrees in the U.S
BILL 4: Increase the number of visas for "highly-skilled" workers
YES
Pass the Dream Act: pathway to citizenship to undocumented youth seeking a higher education or military service
BILL 5: Pathway to Dream Legal Status
?
Guest Worker Program
BILL 6: Guest Worker Program, especially for guest farm workers
?
Improve Immigration Processing/Reduce Backlogs from Entering Countries and Backlogged Court Proceedings
 
 

The President supports One overall plan of Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Rubio says his plan will be introduced in six separate bills.  It is easy to see why. Rubio can brag that he is introducing Comprehensive Immigration Reform and many Republicans will jump on board, all the while proclaiming their support of Latinos.
Which bills will Republicans support first? It is obvious:
1. Enhance Border Security, 2. e-Verify, 3. Increase # of Visas for "highly-skilled" workers.
Enhanced Border Security is just more of the SAME RACIAL PROFILING BILLS that have antagonized Latinos for years. Sheriff Arpaio and Arizona are notorious for sb1070. John Tanton's K-K-Kris Kobach WROTE THE BILL, for Heaven's sake! Just because the bill indicates there is "No Racial Profiling Permitted," we all know that Arpaio allows his ski masked posse to terrorize Latino neighborhoods with their "Suppression Sweeps." It is obvious that Republicans DON'T GET IT! We Latinos will NEVER vote for them as long as Latinos are treated as 2nd Class Citizens and told we MUST endure this Racial Profiling just because "We Fit the Profile" of what they believe an "Illeegal" looks like.  Enhanced Border Security should NOT be used to sugar coat all of this racial profiling. We have 55 Million Latino Citizens in our Country. We will NOT vote for anyone who promotes these racial profiling bills.
Republicans will also embrace the enforcement of e-Verify. We have it now, but next they plan to make the rules more stringent, even though the database has numerous flaws.
The third measure they will immediately advance is their support for giving shortcuts to Immigrants they deem are "highly-skilled" workers. Read this to mean more Northern European immigrants with advanced degrees.
So now that we know which bills Republicans will support, which bills will they IGNORE? They will absolutely drag their feet on Rubio's version of Pathway to Legal Status. Rubio's version is a PIG IN A POKE. It's FAKE! First of all, Rubio's version does NOT include a Pathway to Citizenship for the 11M here. Instead, he says if you complete several steps and if you pass them all, then we MAY provide you some type of temporary Legal Status.  Then, if you are very good, we will give you several more rules to follow, pay more fines, then we just might let you get in line and apply for citizenship.
As far as the Dream Act goes, Republicans don't want the Dreamers to become citizens. Rubio's bill allows them (after several hoops jumped) to obtain legal status, but they will have to get in line and leave to become citizens.
The Guest Worker program is being supported, particularly for farmworkers. Both sides need the work and the cheap pay to continue.
One area Rubio nor the Republicans are touching is streamlining the Immigration process so we don't have 12 - 20 year backlogs for entry from Latino countries and so we don't have years long backlog in Immigration Courts for people who are trying to resolve their Visa issues.
The President is right. We do need One Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill passed, otherwise, we will be stuck with Rubio's Phony piece meal approach. If passed his way, expect many more racial profiling bills enacted, more Employer ICE Sweeps and more Broken Immigration Reform promises. 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Still spreading your lies about racial profiling? How is enhanced BORDER SECURITY racial profiling? For God's sake IT'S THE BORDER!!!!

Why do you and your fellow Latino CITIZENS make the enforcement of our immigration all about Latinos? Aren't we as loyal Americans supposed to support our immigration laws regardless of our ethnicity and regardless of the ethnicity of the illegals themselves? Or do Latinos think they are special and above them? Isn't that racist?

Our border won't be secured just as it wasn't in 1986 with an amnesty. Who is going to monitor the paying of all these back taxes, fines, learning English, etc. with an amnesty? Our government can't even keep track of visa overstayers now. This will be a huge expense to us already overtaxed Americans also.

We have 23 million Americans out of work right now and yet you want to legalize millions of illegals to compete with Americans and retain those jobs? We don't need that population growth added permanently to our society either. Our natural and social resources are being spread thin as it is. We would have to subsidize their low incomes with our taxes especially those with U.S. born kids.

Republicans would be stupid to think that they would gain more of the Latino vote by agreeing to any amnesty. Latinos and other minorities vote Democrat for other reasons and that won't change.

Why do you care about Mexicans and other Latinos more than you care about your fellow Americans? Why does your ethnocentricism trump even the laws of our country?

Dee said...

I published Bad Anon's comment because I wanted everyone to see that the Far Right Tea Party agenda is exactly as I said it was:

1. They ONLY support MASS DEPORTATION

2. The insist that 55M Citizen Latinos should just put up with the rampant Racial Profiling we see in Maricopa County and this racial profiling should continue and be expanded to all states, especially border states. And, if Latinos don't like this racial profiling, we are Un American. (how ludicrous)

3. They call a Pathway to Citizenship "Amnesty."

These Tea Party Republicans are racist and uncaring. They will never change.

Unknown said...

we don't need piece meal approach to Immigration issue. we need comprehensive immigration policy as Obama has planned .

Unknown said...

we don't need piece meal approach to Immigration issue. we need comprehensive immigration policy as Obama has planned .

Unknown said...

does president obama have same plan like rubio for long residency requirements in his immigration reform against illegal immigrants ?

An One Open World, for the all of US, for "An Open Humane Economical Civilized Destination, for the all of US" !!! said...

"No Deportation, by A New USA-Law-2013" : (for all the qualified portion of the 9 to 11+millions peoples of the, already & existing, Long Term USA-Resident Foreign-born-Workers, "who have been worked & lived, (with the less wages, with sufferings & abuses in the USA), continuously, for more than the last 8 to 10+ years, in the USA, without any proper Immigration Status, and, hence, who have been , already, continuously, exploited & overused, or, discriminated, as the Slaves, or, who have been suffered & punished, or, abused & PUNISHED, in the USA, as well as, for more than the 8 to 10+ years, already, continuously, in the USA, before the proposed
Cut-Off-Date/Deadline-Date, as of the 6th. November, 2012"): by
"An USA-Govt./Presidential Humane-Economical-Immigration-Legalization-Pardon, (for the all Punished, so called & cursed, 9 to 10-millions+ Illegal, Foreign-Born Workers, in the USA).

All the Willing Candidates/Applicants,
(in this "USA-Humane-Economical-Immigration-Reform-Legalization-Pardon-Program-2013", WOULD MUST HAVE TO SELF-APPROACHED, "to get their, own, Punishments,(Final-Order-Deportations), before the proposed Deadline-Date, of the 31st. December, 2013, (from the the USA-Govt.-Immigration-Offices, through an hired & paid USA-Immigration-Lawyers, at the Candidate/Applicant's Own arrangements & costs)".

Anyone, (who would get their Punishment-Orders, the USA-Govt.'s Final Order of Deportations, as it would might be issued, on them, on & after the Deadline-Date/Cut-Off-Date, of the 31st. December, 2013), "would not get qualified, in the present-time's USA-Govt.-Humane-Economical-Immigration-Reform-Legalization-Pardon-2013".

It would Reduce, (To The Zero),
"All THE FEARS Of Future & New Illegal-Immigrations(in to the USA), after the 31st. December, 2013".

This would induce "All other Countries, to do the same needful, long-awaiting, Humane-Immigration-Reform-Legalization-Pardons, (in all other Countries, specially, in China, India, Pakistan, Arab-Countries, Russia, Australia, Brazil, Vanezuela, Nigeria, Argentina, etc.)".

It would change(to stop the Immigration-based Slavery & Abuses, Discriminations & Exploitations),
"the rest of the World, Gradually & Slowly, but confirmly".

It would make the "Whole World, slowly & radually, (as more Humane & Integrated, with One-Constructive-Responsibility, with the Zero-Immigration-Exploitation-Option), to grow further together", with
"An One Advancement & Destination Goal, (for the all of us, in this World), without less, or, no enemey & stranger, against us, in all countries of the World, simultaneously" !!!

We would not ignore it, in this 2013,(if we are in the Civilization-Motion)!!!

Dee said...

Steve, The President hasn't provided any details on his "Pathway to Citizenship" recommendation. We are hearing from several news sources that the Team of 6's recommendations which will include recommendations from the President and the Hispanic Caucus will be the President's recommendation. John McCain and Lindsey Graham are on that committee and McCain voiced his support for CIR -- his old McCain/Kennedy bill. It will be One Comprehensive bill. It will be interesting to see Marco Rubio's response to this bill. He is getting plenty of heat from the far right extremists (aka Tea Party, Heritage Foundation, FAIR, NumbersUSA, Alipac, etc) for proposing his own WEAK bill. How can he possibly support CIR?

Lot's more to come on this. It should be very interesting.

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