For many, hope is the word this holiday.
On the topic of immigration reform, the New York Times chimes in:
It’s way too early to tell whether the United States
under President-elect Barack Obama will restore realism, sanity and lawfulness
to its immigration system. But it’s never too early to hope, and the stars seem
to be lining up, at least among his cabinet nominees.
The Center for Community Change has a new video
out, asking what communities are hoping for in the new year. Much of the hope
hinges on a call for real immigration reform, not raids:
The San Diego Press (La Prensa San Diego) is running an opinion piece
entitled, “A New Era of Hope for Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” by Ali
Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. The piece details the
many costly failures of Bush-era immigration policy:
Three years ago at this time of year, the
Republican-controlled House had just passed H.R. 4437, a bill that would have
amounted to the most restrictive immigration legislation in generations and
which sparked huge demonstrations nationwide. Two years ago, the first in the
new era of workplace raids unfolded at jobsites just in time for the holiday
season. This year has seen more raids, more separation of families, continued
bureaucratic processing delays, and a legal immigration system unresponsive to the
reality facing families, employers, and individuals.
But it, too, strikes a chord of aggressive hope at the end:
President-elect Obama’s cabinet nominations reflect
a desire to make significant progress on immigration reform. Nominating people
like […] Gov.
Janet Napolitano (Secretary of Homeland Security), Gov. Bill Richardson (Secretary of
Commerce), […] Rep.
Hilda Solis
(Secretary of Labor), indicates he and his Administration are serious about
working with Congress to deliver comprehensive immigration reform for the
American people.…2008 also saw an election where immigrant and
Latino voters turned out to vote for change in record numbers. The tired
politics of immigrant bashing once again failed to deliver for firebrand politicians.…Now it is up to people of conscience to hold our
elected representatives accountable and demand immigration reform that benefits
the American people, America’s economic and homeland security, and moves us
towards a new era of recognizing that immigration is not a source of weakness
for America, it is a sign of our strength.
On that note, happy and hopeful holidays to all!
