By Yoli Navas:
“Qué Pasa” is our weekly roundup of news, opinion, and links from Spanish-Language online news publications:
This week Spanish language media covered the reactions to Representative Steve King’s (R-IA) anti-immigrant comments towards DREAMers and the KIDS Act hearing in the House Immigration Subcommittee.
Univision: Rising controversy and rejection towards Rep. Steve King’s comments
Outrage over Steve King’s (R-IA) offensive comments towards DREAMers continues. According to King, for every young DREAMer that graduates with honors there are 100 that are transporting drugs.
House Speaker John Boehner and other GOP House members condemned King’s comments–Rep. Raul Labrador called them ignorant and Speaker Boehner said during a press conference that “there is no place in this debate for hateful, or ignorant comments from elected officials.” In Boehner’s opinion King’s comments were “deeply offensive and wrong.”
DREAMers responded to King’s statement that they have “calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert” by delivering cantaloupes to his D.C. office on Thursday.
King, who was on Al Punto last week and refused to apologize for comparing immigrants to dogs, now also refuses to apologize for his recent offensive comments towards DREAMers and “believes that the numbers support” his claims.
Showing that King doesn’t represent the views of the majority of people in his own district, a new poll this past week indicated that 69% of voters in King’s Iowa district support inclusive and comprehensive immigration reform.
The following outlets also reported on this subject: La Opinion, Notimex, Telemundo, Washington Post
La Opinion: Dirty and cruel
Family unity is an important value for the Republican Party, up until you start talking about immigration. At that point, all “family unity” values go out the door and are replaced by concepts like mass-deportation. This was the main point coming out of the KIDS Act hearing earlier this week in the House Immigration Subcommittee.
Although particular details of the bill are not yet available, the KIDS Act is a DREAM-lite type bill that would legalize DREAMers but not their families or the rest of the 11 million. Unlike the Senate, which passed a bill that included a path to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants, the House only wants to give a pathway to citizenship to those who were brought to the country as children.
Majority leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is sponsoring the KIDS Act. Cantor believes we should give legalization to DREAMERS because it’s a matter of “decency and compassion.” Spanish language media believe it’s unlikely that these words hold any value in the House of Representatives and point to failure of the DREAM Act in 2010 and passage of King’s amendment to defund the deferredaction program in order to deport young DREAMers.
Spanish language media believe the change in attitude in the House of Representatives comes from the pressure being placed on them to pass immigration reform. And it is also a political strategy to present legislation that benefits an unacceptably small number of people, putting Democrats in a difficult spot where they might have to oppose the proposal.
Taking Cantor’s own words, Spanish language media believe it is indecent and cruel to allow for the protection of these young DREAMers, while leaving their parents and family vulnerable. It is hypocritical for the Republican Party to claim they represent family values when they are heartlessly proposing legislation that would tear families apart.
The following outlets also reported on this subject: Telemundo, Univision, AP, Notimex
From America’s Voice’s own Maribel Hastings:
La reforma migratoria no es juego de niños (Immigration reform is no game for kids)
