Many folks don’t realize that included in Joe Biden’s Build Back Better human infrastructure package is legislation that favors illegal immigrants and a path to citizenship, with $100 billion earmarked for that purpose. The House blew that opportunity however, instead sending a bill to the Senate that would allow some seven million undocumented immigrants who arrived before 2011 to remain in the U.S. on a “parole” basis for 10 years. This would provide these people with a temporary security blanket from deportation, but does nothing to solidify their future. Pictured above is Joe with his Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, courtesy of ABC News.
The House bill would also protect young people who fall under former President Obama’s Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals act, commonly known as “DACA,” and presumably their parents. This in itself is crucial because if the Republicans flip the Senate in 2022, Obama’s executive order could be reversed and end up in the toilet. Well, maybe although not likely. Dreamers still enjoy strong support among both parties because they came here through no fault of their own and America is the only country they’ve ever known. What the bill does reveal is that the majority of lawmakers tend to back away from the hot potato topic of immigration reform, a problem child that hasn’t been addressed head on since President Reagan was in office 35 years ago. This is especially true now due to the racial unrest in this country, and how Hispanics are often misunderstood by the general public.
What political insiders don’t often realize is that many first and second generation Latinos are conservative in nature. They came here to pursue the American dream, to escape poverty, oppression and government corruption in their home countries. They are skeptical of big government promises and socialist tendencies that led to their former country’s demise. Former President George W. Bush captured nearly 40% of the Hispanic vote in Florida and Texas and didn’t do that badly in other states as well. Even Donald Trump, with all his rhetoric, still received 20 to 25 percent of the Brown vote in both elections. Chris Salcedo, a Dallas-Ft. Worth talk show host, explains this odd relationship.
“I have always resented the hell out of liberals who think I should support their ( agenda) because of my sir name,” he rants. “When Trump cracked down on illegal border crossings and human trafficking, I didn’t think he was attacking me because as an American, I also support those things.”
Perhaps that’s the mysterious link or disconnect that is often misunderstood. Nearly all Hispanics came here to seek a better life and be free of government corruption that plagued them in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and even to an extent in Mexico with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador now in power. They crave the opportunity to open a small business or land a steady job, raise a family and live in a stable environment.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with rallying to the cause of minority rights in America. We have to get our act together. But I look at other countries in our hemisphere and despite all their faults, there is no barrier or conflict regarding the color of their skin. Financially perhaps, but culturally it rarely exists. Maybe we should all take a long hard look in the mirror and admit that there are some lessons to be learned. I urge politicians to cut the crap, quit fanning the flames of hate and try to score points to enhance their careers. Let’s do a better job of pulling us all together. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s time to get the ball rolling.
Do you know what could happen overnight, or almost? A stand alone bill that would make Dreamers permanent citizens. Their parents, provided they are felony clean, receive green cards so they are also able to work legally and contribute to society. That’s a start that both parties should be able to accept in candid fairness. The additional issues, including amnesty for Central American refugees, should also be addressed but in separate legislation. Politicians love to make things complicated, which is common in big government agendas. Instead, let’s adjust to change and allow all of us who live here to feel like they are part of the process, and not the “untouchables” who allegedly bring us down. In my America, that concept doesn’t exist.
