adminwelcome. People of colour are scorned. Exploiting unwanted masses is policy. Helping them is verboten.
America never was beautiful and isn’t now. Wealth, power, privilege, and dominance alone matter. Equity and justice are four-letter words. The New York Times claims otherwise. On January 28, it headlined “Senators Offer a Bipartisan Blueprint for Immigration,” saying:
“They agreed on a set of principles for a sweeping overhaul of the immigration system, including a pathway to American citizenship for 11 million (undocumented) immigrants that would hinge on progress in securing the borders and ensuring that foreigners leave the country when their visas expire.”
According to CNN, Obama’s “ready to double down on immigration reform.” He broke earlier promises made. He failed to deliver. “(He) made it a top legislative priority” in term two. Expect no more now than earlier. On January 28, a Times editorial headlined “Now We’re Talking.” “Eight senators, four from each party” released a January 28, memo. A “statement of principles” was explained.
They call for “more border and workplace enforcement, more visas for needed workers and legalisation – with a path to citizenship . . . ” Omitted details and deliberate vagueness assure disappointment. “What’s encouraging is that (anything) exists at all.” No plan is better than a bad one. Nothing positive occurred for years. Expect nothing now. According to TimesSpeak, “no longer does the immigration debate consist of two groups yelling across a void.” Republicans and Democrats proposed “pragmatic” solutions “most Americans accept. The citizenship path . . . won’t be easy or short.”
A new “probationary legal status” falls short of citizenship or permanent residency. Undocumented immigrants may live and work in America “provided they pass criminal background checks and pay back taxes owed.” They also have to learn English and prove they’re employed. They’ll be subject to mandatory employer E-Verify. It’s a government-run online system. It enforces draconian harshness. It compares employee information to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security data. Numerous false alarms are triggered. Millions of legal immigrants are falsely targeted.
Millions of family members of legal US residents await permanent residency status. Undocumented immigrants will be forced to the back of the line. US citizens trying to bring unmarried Mexican children to America requires waiting 17 years or longer. Most never succeed. Proposed legislation blocks the road to citizenship until borders are secured. So-called disqualifying crimes are largely minor misdemeanors or youthful indiscretions. They’re enough to deny citizenship. They ignore sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) discriminatory harshness. Post-9/11, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have been mercilessly hounded, harassed, and persecuted.
Billions have been spent on ruthless targeting. Obama deported record numbers. They deserve better.
Sweeping workplace and community raids target them. They’ve been rounded up, incarcerated, brutally treated, denied all rights, and sent home for being the wrong color from the wrong country.
One-quarter or more deported are parents of children born in America. They’re US citizens. It doesn’t matter. They can stay. Parents can’t. Policy separates families trying to stay together. Claiming “immigration reform finally began” turns truth on its head. Expect no better now than earlier. Even The Times admits it’s “easy to be skeptical.” Immigrants never were treated fairly. The 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act grudgingly went further than previous laws. It made immigrants of all races eligible for citizenship based on strict quotas.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at [email protected].
Online Reporter