Obama’s Ruse and the Shifting Views of Republicans: Will the US Let Immigrants Be?
Published in Gazeta Wyborcza
(Poland) on 1 February 2014
by Mariusz Zawadzki (link to original)
(Poland) on 1 February 2014
by Mariusz Zawadzki (link to original)
Translated from
by Maciej Lepka.
Edited by Gillian Palmer.
A glimmer of hope shone for the families of 12 million immigrants without papers in the United States. The Republican Party, which has been against giving them legal status, is changing its mind. The party, however, is driving a hard bargain.
Ronald Reagan was the last U.S. president to give amnesty and grant American citizenship to undocumented immigrants. Barack Obama is eager to follow in his footsteps, which has resulted in the preparation of an extensive, 800-page-long immigration bill project. It was important to Poles as well, since it contained provisions on the abolition of visas.
Unfortunately, the project did not go through Congress. Even though the Senate originally approved it, Republicans, who have the majority in the lower house, decided they would not even consider it.
For years, they were against amnesty, claiming that it would be immoral and encourage all those desiring the American dream to sneak through the border and swim through the Rio Grande, along with drug smugglers. And why not, Republicans would point out with irony: After a few years, you will be forgiven, anyway! Obama's 2012 presidential-election opponent Mitt Romney considered so-called self-deportation the best solution to the problem of undocumented aliens: "... people decide they can do better by going home because they can't find work here because they don't have legal documentation to allow them to work here."
After Romney's loss, Republicans understood that if they do not change their stance on paperless immigrants, they will keep on losing election after election. Over 70 percent of Hispanics, who constitute the most dynamically growing minority in the United States, supported Obama.
The whole issue is being addressed again today, a few months before the fall midterm elections. A few weeks ago, we saw signals that Republican leader John Boehner was in favor of immigration reform, although different one to what Obama had proposed. Immediately, protests and complaints in the conservative wing of the party followed.
Rand Paul, one of the most influential conservatives, was very clear and direct when discussing Boehner's idea, "If he passes — if he allows something to pass out of conference that looks anything like the Senate bill, and it is passed with a majority of Democrats, I think that will be the final thing he does as speaker."
Other supporters of the reforms were intimidated as well. The state's party authorities officially reprimanded Sen. John McCain, who is in favor of amnesty but represents Arizona, where immigrants are treated rather strictly and harshly, for "spreading liberal views."
The intensification of the Republican Party’s infighting was in the public eye almost on a daily basis.
On Tuesday, during his annual State of the Union address, Obama only briefly mentioned the problem of undocumented immigrants. Did he forsake the possibility of the reform? On the contrary, he believed in the possibility of change and wanted to keep it quiet for the time being.
He understands that every bill labeled as his does not stand a chance of support from the most avid Republicans. At the very sound of the word "Obama," conservatives automatically press the “no” button. On the other hand, if the new project is perceived as Boehner's, the likelihood of its passing will increase substantially.
It did not take long before those tactics started bearing fruit. Thursday saw Republican Party leaders accept new conditions — written in an inside-party document that was leaked to the press — "that has to be fulfilled before we accept any immigration reform."
Among other things, we can read that "there will be no special path to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws — that would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law. Rather, these persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits)."
The party made exceptions only for those brought to the U.S. as young children by their parents. They will be eligible for citizenship without having to answer for their parents’ sins.
Those Republican "standards" obviously are not perfect as far as the Democrats are concerned, but they certainly constitute a sensible starting point for negotiations. Obama will surely avail himself of the opportunity to take credit for another great reform — after the reform of the health care system. All this means that immigrants have the biggest chance to better their lives in years.
Ronald Reagan was the last U.S. president to give amnesty and grant American citizenship to undocumented immigrants. Barack Obama is eager to follow in his footsteps, which has resulted in the preparation of an extensive, 800-page-long immigration bill project. It was important to Poles as well, since it contained provisions on the abolition of visas.
Unfortunately, the project did not go through Congress. Even though the Senate originally approved it, Republicans, who have the majority in the lower house, decided they would not even consider it.
For years, they were against amnesty, claiming that it would be immoral and encourage all those desiring the American dream to sneak through the border and swim through the Rio Grande, along with drug smugglers. And why not, Republicans would point out with irony: After a few years, you will be forgiven, anyway! Obama's 2012 presidential-election opponent Mitt Romney considered so-called self-deportation the best solution to the problem of undocumented aliens: "... people decide they can do better by going home because they can't find work here because they don't have legal documentation to allow them to work here."
After Romney's loss, Republicans understood that if they do not change their stance on paperless immigrants, they will keep on losing election after election. Over 70 percent of Hispanics, who constitute the most dynamically growing minority in the United States, supported Obama.
The whole issue is being addressed again today, a few months before the fall midterm elections. A few weeks ago, we saw signals that Republican leader John Boehner was in favor of immigration reform, although different one to what Obama had proposed. Immediately, protests and complaints in the conservative wing of the party followed.
Rand Paul, one of the most influential conservatives, was very clear and direct when discussing Boehner's idea, "If he passes — if he allows something to pass out of conference that looks anything like the Senate bill, and it is passed with a majority of Democrats, I think that will be the final thing he does as speaker."
Other supporters of the reforms were intimidated as well. The state's party authorities officially reprimanded Sen. John McCain, who is in favor of amnesty but represents Arizona, where immigrants are treated rather strictly and harshly, for "spreading liberal views."
The intensification of the Republican Party’s infighting was in the public eye almost on a daily basis.
On Tuesday, during his annual State of the Union address, Obama only briefly mentioned the problem of undocumented immigrants. Did he forsake the possibility of the reform? On the contrary, he believed in the possibility of change and wanted to keep it quiet for the time being.
He understands that every bill labeled as his does not stand a chance of support from the most avid Republicans. At the very sound of the word "Obama," conservatives automatically press the “no” button. On the other hand, if the new project is perceived as Boehner's, the likelihood of its passing will increase substantially.
It did not take long before those tactics started bearing fruit. Thursday saw Republican Party leaders accept new conditions — written in an inside-party document that was leaked to the press — "that has to be fulfilled before we accept any immigration reform."
Among other things, we can read that "there will be no special path to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws — that would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law. Rather, these persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits)."
The party made exceptions only for those brought to the U.S. as young children by their parents. They will be eligible for citizenship without having to answer for their parents’ sins.
Those Republican "standards" obviously are not perfect as far as the Democrats are concerned, but they certainly constitute a sensible starting point for negotiations. Obama will surely avail himself of the opportunity to take credit for another great reform — after the reform of the health care system. All this means that immigrants have the biggest chance to better their lives in years.