Immigration Reform

Published in Panama America
(Panama) on 1 July 2013
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Cydney Seigerman. Edited by Bora Mici.
The United States was founded by colonies of English, French, Dutch and German immigrants in the 17th century. Later Italian, Irish and Polish immigrants arrived. Some were fleeing religious persecution; others were looking for a decent place under the sun to work for the well-being of their families, as well as that of the new nation. However, those European immigrants did not run into the penalties that require millions of people with Spanish or indigenous blood to illegally enter the U.S. through the Mexican border in order to receive the advantages of the American dream. Although the last word has yet to be said, the best immigrant reform approved by the Senate opens the door to giving legal status to a Latino population calculated to exceed 11 million two years ago. Ratification by the House of Representatives, which has an ultra-right Republican majority, is still pending. The weight of the wide range of religious and human rights organizations, private businesses, farmers and labor unions that demand ratification of the reform, plus the economic and political gravity of the mass of Latinos, can defeat the obstacle of the Republican representatives. Fourteen Republican senators, including possible [presidential] candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has Cuban origins, voted in favor of the plan written up by four Democrats and four Republicans.

Republican senators conditioned their vote of support upon strengthening the border security system and establishing stricter methods for selecting future scientist and skilled-labor migrants. They demanded an increase in the number of border police in order to block the entrance of drugs and people with police records. Tunnels were discovered that were built by cartels to perforate the border. However, human rights organizations argue that a democratic regime is incompatible with the construction of a border wall similar to that in Berlin, which marked the separation of freedom and totalitarianism during the Cold War. In the debate over national security, factors that emphasize the impact of people who are undocumented on economic development in North America have surfaced. It was calculated that the gross domestic product is getting stronger year after year because of private businesses created by Latino residents and massive consumption by Mexicans and Central Americans in almost every state. They make up a formidable workforce in the agricultural and industrial sectors. This workforce is often cheated by low wages, about which the workers cannot complain because of the threat of being denounced as illegal. Recognizing the substantial economic contribution of Latino workers, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., leader of the Senate Democratic majority, expressed his support for the immigration reform plan, saying the “historic legislation recognizes that today’s immigrants came for the right reason, the same reason as the generations before them … the right to live in a land that’s free."

Communication analysts claim Republicans in the House of Representatives could weaken the likelihood of future election wins by their party, with Democratic candidates regaining the massive support of the Latino vote, like Obama. Curiously, in the Republican lines, one of the major opponents of immigration reform is Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex. However, it is clear to the group of eight Republican senators who voted for the Democratic plan that it is necessary that the House of Representatives not cut the option of naturalization for Latinos without papers.


Estados Unidos fue fundado por colonias de inmigrantes ingleses, franceses, holandeses, alemanas, en el siglo XVII. Tiempo después arribaron nuevos inmigrantes italianos. irlandeses, polacos. Unos huían de persecuciones religiosos; otros buscaban un lugar decoroso bajo el sol para trabajar por el bienestar de sus familias y de la nueva nación. Pero aquellos inmigrantes europeos no tropezaron con las penalidades que obligaron a millones de personas de sangre española e indígena a penetrar ilegalmente por la frontera con México para recibir las ventajas del sueño americano. Aunque todavía no se ha dicho la última palabra, la mayor reforma migratoria aprobada por el Senado abre una puerta para legalizar el estatus de una población latina calculada hace dos años en más de once millones. Queda pendiente la ratificación de la Cámara de Representantes en la que tiene mayoría la ultraderecha republicana. El peso de la diversidad de organizaciones religiosas, derechos humanos, empresas privadas, agricultores, sindicatos de la industria que exige la ratificación de la reforma migratoria, más las gravitación económica y política de la masa de latinos puede vencer el obstáculo de los representantes republicanos. Catorce senadores republicanos, incluido el posible candidato Marco Rubio de origen cubano, votaron a favor del proyecto de ley redactado por cuatro demócratas y cuatro republicanos.

Los senadores republicanos condicionaron su voto de apoyo al reforzamiento del sistema de seguridad fronteriza y al establecimiento de medidas más estrictas para seleccionar futuras migraciones de científicos y mano de obra especializada. Exigen que se incremente el número de agentes policiales fronterizos para poder bloquear la entrada de estupefacientes y gente de antecedentes policiales. Se descubrieron túneles construidos por los carteles para perforar la frontera. Sin embargo, organizaciones de derechos humanos alegan que un régimen democrático es incompatible con la construcción de un muro fronterizo parecido al muro de Berlín, que marcó en la Guerra Fría la separación de la libertad y el totalitarismo. En el debate sobre seguridad nacional han entrado factores que destacan la incidencia de los indocumentados en el desarrollo económico norteamericano. Se calcula que el PIB se está fortaleciendo año tras año debido a empresas privadas creadas por latinos residentes y el consumo masivo de mexicanos y centroamericanos repartidos en casi todos los estados. Constituyen una formidable mano de obra en la agricultura y la industria a menudo defraudada por bajos salarios que no pueden reclamar por amenazas a la delación de la ilegalidad. Reconociendo el sustancial aporte económico de los trabajadores latinos, Harry Reid, líder de la mayoría demócrata del Senado, manifestó al aprobarse el proyecto de reforma migratoria que “la histórica legislación reconoce que los inmigrantes de hoy han venido a Estados Unidos por el mismo motivo de los fundadores para lograr el sueño americano que nosotros damos por sentado”.

Analistas de los medios de comunicación aseveran que los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes podrían debilitar la opción de que el partido gane las próximas elecciones y los candidatos demócratas vuelvan a obtener, como Obama, el masivo apoyo de la votación de los latinos. Curiosamente, en las filas republicanas uno de los mayores opositores a la reforma migratoria es Ted Cruz de Texas. Pero el grupo de los ocho senadores republicanos que dio el voto al proyecto demócrata tiene clara la necesidad de que la Cámara de Representantes no recorte la opción de naturalización a los latinos sin papeles.
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