Today in Immigration Must Reads…Healthcare, Arpaio, and the “Rejiggering” of American Politics….
Read ’em:
On Healthcare…
- Democrats are under pressure to cave and support a costly, paranoid, and ineffective verification scheme to make sure undocumented immigrants don’t get healthcare — even though the bill already prohibits them from receiving it (here we go again…). Andrea Nill makes the case why Dems shouldn’t support this.
- Pat Young draws 4 lessons from the health care debate for the upcoming immigration debate. Mainly: it’s not about policy, win the centrist districts, watch out for gun-toting wingnuts, and be courageous. I’d add, we (immigration reformers) have seen this loud, angry “minority” riled up on immigration before, and we know they can’t swing elections—so let’s remind Congress of that fact as the wingnuts go to town showing their true colors.
Local immigration struggles…
- Is Arpaio under investigation by the FBI? Here’s hoping. Encouraging story of Massachusetts’ statewide ESL initiative.
- NYT reports on NYC’s version of “Secure Communities,” and advocate protests about it. Chicago activists (go, ICIRR!) present “Enough” petitions to local DHS office, elevate struggle of a “Dreamer” (Dream Act-eligible youth) named Rigo, who is facing deportation.
On Immigration Politics/Latino Vote:
- WSJ lays out how the Census will show a changed (“politically rejiggered”) America. Also, Gerry Seib of WSJ argues that Democrats may be down, but GOP isn’t benefiting, in part because they’ve alienated Hispanics on immigration.
- Bill MacKenzie on Kay Bailey Hutchison, and how she needs to grow the GOP to win, including gains among Hispanics– made more difficult, he claims, because of their opposition to immigration reform. See a narrative forming here?