On Meet the Press yesterday morning, Telemundo’s Jose Diaz-Balart spoke about the mission of his new Sunday morning show Enfoque, and some of the topics he intends to “focus” on – primarily issues that heavily impact the Hispanic community.
As we’ve been pointing out for some time here, comprehensive immigration reform weighs heavily among those issues.
Interrupting Meet the Press host, David Gregory, Diaz-Balart makes the case for why reform needs to happen:
Can I interrupt you, David, because there’s something that’s resonating in our community that I don’t hear enough about here. And I thank you for the opportunity. Immigration reform. Immigration reform is fundamental for the Hispanic community. And let me tell you something. You don’t have to be an undocumented alien or an illegal immigrant, however you want to call ’em, to want immigration reform in this country.
It’s something that everybody in the Hispanic community is asking for. And we want to know what the conservatives and what the liberals and what the Tea Party and what the Democrats are thinking and saying. Because you know what? Words do matter. And I’ve got President Obama 19– in 2008 saying, “I can guarantee you we will have an immigration reform proposal during my first year.” Words matter. We haven’t seen it.
And to emphasize the value of immigration reform to the Latino community, Mr. Diaz-Balart decided to make the topic the focus of his first show, which aired yesterday morning.
Jose Diaz-Balart makes a good point. Polling shows that the majority of Americans want immigration reform — they want a functional, fair immigration system, not the dysfunctional one we have now. What’s more, it should come as little surprise that a stunning majority of Latino voters (the fastest-growing demographic in the country) do, too. Or that they’re counting on leaders in Washington to lead. Not to mention, keep their promises.
