Tuesday
Aug182009
Obama Must Tackle Immigration After Health Care, Advise Asian-American Leaders
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 6:26PM
By Laura Woodhead - Talk Radio News Service
Immigration reform must be next on the President's agenda, Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders said Tuesday. Speaking during a conference call to discuss a coordinated national week of action highlighting the need for immigration reform, Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said that its was time to stress the importance of taking action to change the immigration system.
"[We need to] move towards meaningful reform that will create a clear and reasonable path to citizenship for the millions of hardworking immigrants currently working in the shadows," said Chu. The current situation "is completely untenable," Chu added.
Chu said that the Democratic majority in the Senate and House, as well as commitment from the Obama administration, means that "for the first time immigration reform is truly possible." She called on the Asian American community to actively participate in placing the debate first on the political agenda and to stress that immigration reform is essential for all US citizens.
"We need to do our part as a community to remind the President and Congress about how important immigration reform is. It's important to flex our political muscles," Chu said. "We must send the message out that it is everyone's issue."
"All of our families were at one point immigrants to this land and we must stand in solidarity with all other imigrants, whose only disadvantage is that their families arived on these shores later than ours. They should not be penalized for that."
Responding to critics' assertion that any change would hurt the economy, Chu responded that studies show reform made to the immigration system would actually help to revitalize the U.S. economy. Immigration reform would bring "many more people into the economy by reuniting family members. I'm of the great belief that this will be a great addition to our economy," said Chu.
Chu was joined by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, who warned that lessons needed to be learned from the current debate on health care.
"When we move to immigration reform we need to have a rational debate and rational conversation with the country," Noorani said. "What we are seeing is that there is vocal minority of the country thats dominating the debate on health care reform. That same vocal minority will support the unrealistic solution of deporting 12 million people."
Immigration reform must be next on the President's agenda, Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders said Tuesday. Speaking during a conference call to discuss a coordinated national week of action highlighting the need for immigration reform, Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said that its was time to stress the importance of taking action to change the immigration system.
"[We need to] move towards meaningful reform that will create a clear and reasonable path to citizenship for the millions of hardworking immigrants currently working in the shadows," said Chu. The current situation "is completely untenable," Chu added.
Chu said that the Democratic majority in the Senate and House, as well as commitment from the Obama administration, means that "for the first time immigration reform is truly possible." She called on the Asian American community to actively participate in placing the debate first on the political agenda and to stress that immigration reform is essential for all US citizens.
"We need to do our part as a community to remind the President and Congress about how important immigration reform is. It's important to flex our political muscles," Chu said. "We must send the message out that it is everyone's issue."
"All of our families were at one point immigrants to this land and we must stand in solidarity with all other imigrants, whose only disadvantage is that their families arived on these shores later than ours. They should not be penalized for that."
Responding to critics' assertion that any change would hurt the economy, Chu responded that studies show reform made to the immigration system would actually help to revitalize the U.S. economy. Immigration reform would bring "many more people into the economy by reuniting family members. I'm of the great belief that this will be a great addition to our economy," said Chu.
Chu was joined by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, who warned that lessons needed to be learned from the current debate on health care.
"When we move to immigration reform we need to have a rational debate and rational conversation with the country," Noorani said. "What we are seeing is that there is vocal minority of the country thats dominating the debate on health care reform. That same vocal minority will support the unrealistic solution of deporting 12 million people."
Reader Comments (11)
You don't know how tired I am of hear this, "we were all immigrants at on time".
The only difference is in those days the Immigrants did all they could to assimilate into American society. They didn't hate America or send billions of America's currency out of the country.
Now however immigrants are coming over our borders illigally which correct me if I am wrong, a "Federal Offense".
Why is it that no one admits this, why are we not inforcing these laws.
I am so tired of taking a back set while undeserving Immigrants rape our systems.
The arguement that Immigration reform would be benificial to our economy is a farce. Again no one wants to identfy the current dollar amounts which illigal immigrants cost our country.
I am completely fed up with the left wing opinions on this matter.
Stand up and show some pride rather then selling out.
All you need to do is look at California to know how this will turn out on a national level. Every system in the state, from education to healthcare, has been bankrupted by illegal immigrants who for the most part milk the system for all it's worth while contributing little if anything to the state economy. Not to mention the destabilizing effect they have on the community at large by perpetrating crimes which grow in brazeness and violence by the day, and has seeped into communities across the Southwest.
Time to turn the tide and send these folks back where they belong. Illegal immigration is the single biggest threat to this country's prosperity and security, more so than any group in the Middle East or anywhere else for that matter. Let's deport the bleeding heart liberals while we are at it who want to tear this country apart too.
In 1986 the U.S. revised the immigration laws and granted amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens. Now we have 20 million illegals and must reform immigration laws again. Comprehensive Immigration Reform is a quaint euphemism for amnesty.
Every country in this hemisphere is a country of immigrants but they all have immigration laws and enforce them. No one is suggesting Mexico reform their immigration laws to accommodate Americans who want to move there without bothering to apply for a visa.
If illegal immigrants are a benefit does Rep. Chu propose to sent 20 millions non Spanish speaking illegal immigrants to Mexico to revitalize their economy.
The bottom line is that amnesty for the 20 million illegal Latinos would only benefit the illegals and their native country.
Latino invasion and immigration into USA is not the same thing. Home land security orders not to enforce federal immigration laws in Arizona - this is complete farce! With this reform DC-Washington want to allow invaders to take over whole country with hope to get more freebies from corporations. If that happened a California’s success in borrowing record sums of money will be multiplied in other states! Vote them out.
I love the quote that a vocal minority is driving the health care debate. The latest polls indicate that most Americans are against a government run health plan, just as they are against amnesty for law breakers. California and New York, as our largest sanctuary states, are sinking under the burden and want to tax their way out of it, on the backs of upper and middle class Americans.
There will not be a amnesty, the country would implode and civil war would start. I am in favor of forcing every illegal alien in this country out at gun point, pitch fork, what ever it takes. NO AMNESTY, next year is a big election year, with almost 80 percent of the country completly against reform or amnesty these spinless cowards we have in in office will not touch amnesty with a 10 foot pole. and the fact that obama has pushed it back insures NO AMNESTY. DEPORT EVERYSINGLE ILLEGAL ALIEN RAT THAT CAN BE FOUND. WAKE UP AMERICANS THIS COUNTRY DOES NOT NEED MEXICANS OR MEXICO NOR LATINOS NOR HISPANICS, THIS COUNTRY ONLY NEEDS FULL BLOODED AMERICANS. The rest need to go!!!
We must stand fast with this issue. Our world has turned upside down. Here we have our law makers trying to shove ILLEGAL aliens down our throats, and call us right wing redneck racist if we are against it. Well, for the record, I am a liberal black woman who will fight to bring my country back. This is insane. It is very easy to deport 20 million people. Don't feed them, don't give them benefits of any kind, untie the hand of our law officers so that they can arrest ANYONE who is here illegally...whether or not they have committed ANOTHER crime, and they will leave, because there is nothing to stay for. Mexicans in particular have systematically invaded our country, turned our laws against us, and have now tried to sieze our govenment. Vote EVERY congressman/woman out who supports amnesty of any kind. This just a continuation of the bail out resulting from corporate greed. Illegal aliens work for peanuts, lower wages, increased profits...hang the rest of America!
This government need to reform the Immigration Laws. I guess everybody understand The country's situation with all the illegal people. Everywhere you going, at work, in the street, in walt-mart, etc..
Lets do it simply,they are human beings and more or less are doing a little contribution to our economy. But they're committing lots of crimes, stealing identities, faking social securities. This problem will stop if the System apply an amnesty for those able to proof loyalty and love about America and never committed a crime. It would help to catch terrible criminals and to improve the security. Once you know who's the man in the other side it would be much more easy to send this persons to their own countries or sending this people to jail.
President Obama will declare amnesty to the men or women more than 5 years of resident in the country and those with kids at school
I don't think everybody will meet the required documentation to become a citizen
Who are these people who act as if they have a RIGHT to become American citizens? Citizenship is a precious PRIVILEGE and it's time we stop passing it out to every bunch that demands it for their racial or ethnic or religious or familial group.
The arrogance of telling Americans that we MUST do anything on immigration.
Why don't these people fix their own nations? Because it's easier to come here and chain-immigration their extended family.
All immigration needs to be brought to a halt. With so many people out of work you begin to wonder just where these new immigrants have found jobs. If you think California is bad you should see what is happening in Europe. Every EU country is flooded with legal/illegal poor looking for the rainbow. They have the same stupid governments in every EU country trying not to tick any one off. They do every thing to please the immigrant even to the point of complete neglect of their own citizens. Just like this country. Except they are further along the rabbit hole than we are. In another 15 to 20 years England and the rest of the smaller EU countries will look just like the Middle East there will no Brits or anyone else left that even remembers the Queen.
Immigration reform in 2010 is DOA. The chances of it passing are slim and none. And slim just left town. Go to www.numbersusa.com to fax your congressional representatives as well as Obama and express your outrage for their amnesty for illegals plan. There is no charge, but you can donate.