The Deportation Strategy

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President Obama immigration reform

Credit: Creative Commons/NBC News


Crossposted from New American Media
President Obama’s decision to put off any executive action on immigration until after the November elections, write editors of La Opinión, reflectsa victory by nativist Republicans in politicizing the immigration debate and shows that in Washington, undocumented immigrants are seen as expendable. Atthis point, editors write, it is hard to believe that there will be any executive action after the election.
In the end, it is another promise followed by disappointment that will cost about 70,000 deportations, and that is in the best of cases. That’s if the new deadline is met for President Obama to take executive action on immigration to ease deportationsafter the legislative elections.
The rationale for the new delay is explained as an action to prevent politicizing the issue prior to the November elections. Unfortunately, it is too late to fulfill that objective.
The decision’s delay by the White House is already a Republican victory in politicizing the immigration issue. The Democratic president who last June assured the public that by the end of the summer he would adopt “recommendations without further delay” in what would be an executive order on immigration, yesterday announced through anonymous sources that there would be yet another delay.
It is hard to say which is worse: the delay or the way it was announced. The separation of families that will continue to occur over that period or the Democrats’ lack of courage to take up a just cause and defend their principles instead of fearfully taking cover when the immigration issue is raised.
It would seem that Democrats are taking the unconditional support of Latinos for granted. It is true that there are real differences between the two parties. However, for the 1,120 people deported every day, Democrats and Republicans are the same. For them, both parties are currently using immigration for a political position that is reinforced with the separation of families.
At this point, it is hard to believe that there will be any executive action after the election. There will be an analysis of the election results, their impact, and then thoughts will turn to the 2016 presidential election. It remains to be seen if deportation relief is on a presidential candidate’s agenda and if that candidate wants to wage a campaign battle on the immigration issue.
It is outrageous that after approving immigration reform in the Senate, a handful of nativist lawmakers have dominated the debate in Washington. That was the time for reform or executive action in the face of Republican reluctance.
Perhaps the big difference is that these conservatives – in their ignorance about immigration – are convinced that they are right, while the majority of Democrats seem fearful and racked with doubt, as if a change in immigration would not bring broad-based support in various socioeconomic circles. It is a shame that those who are on the right side of history have less backbone that the anti-immigrant faction.
Today, undocumented immigrants are expendable. It doesn’t matter what was said before or even what is right or wrong. That is the Democrats’ strategy for the election.
Latino voters should remember this entire story of immigration reform, those responsible, their failure, and how a president who is offended when called the “deporter-in-chief” has no problem continuing the deportations in exchange for votes.

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