Immigration UnReform

By Dr. Herny Flores, NewsTaco

One of the funniest and saddest things I have observed in my carrier as a political commentator is the multi-ring circus currently performing in Washington DC in the halls of Congress.  Millions of people marched in 2006 placing immigration reform on the front page of American news.  Since then there has been a burgeoning movement to bring forth legislation that would substantively reform our current unmanageable immigration system.  This is refreshing and badly needed.

The funny side of the debates surrounding the reform process is watching our national legislators posture, making proclamations of the great reforms they are putting forth while at the same time making their position available to negotiation.   Other words we can substitute for negotiation are “water down,” “dilute,” “kill completely.”

A good example of this is Senator John Cornyn, embarrassingly, of San Antonio, TX a community that is more than 70% Latino and continuing to grow even more so daily.  I don’t think that Senator Cornyn has bothered to read the most recent census reports on what the trends are in his state but he better.  I hope the data will make this old guy wake up and see reality before it “bites him.”  Regardless, the good senator from Texas decided to add an amendment to the immigration legislation that would prevent citizenship for 11 million undocumented persons already in the United States until the government has 100% “situational” control of the border.  From a realistic perspective this doesn’t even make sense?  I wonder where he got educated?  100%?  ¡Oralé Senator!  What does that mean?

What that means to Latinos, the way we interpret his amendment, is that Senator Cornyn is anti-immigrant and anti-Latino.  He reflects what a long-time Chicana community activist said the other day when asked about all the racist tweets that went out when el chico con gran vos, Sebastien De La Cruz,  sang the national anthem before the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat game.  She said, “they (people like Cornyn) are just afraid of the future and the future is brown.”

You read the reports from the United States Bureau of the Census that came out this week and it reveals some interesting information.  For instance, there are more white, non-Hispanic people dying every day as opposed to being born.  That means the Anglo population is not naturally replacing itself.  The reports also indicate that Latinos are the fastest growing group of persons in the United States and they are majority of babies being born every day in this country.  Senator Cornyn needs to wake up and realize that every second that ticks away another cohort of eighteen year old Latinos are being born and entering the ranks of voters.

I’ve been immersed in some work as to why racism is so persistent in this country.  Why can’t the people of the United States just turn the page on this ugly chapter of our history and move on with living productive and good lives in this great country?  It’s just “baffling” that racist tweeters would attack an eleven year old kid, dressed in traje mariachi for singing the national anthem.  The little kid sang his heart out and he sang it powerfully and beautifully.  Then the racist cyber bullies went after him.  All I can say is ¡que pendejos! And, kudos to  Mayor Castro and his wife Erica, the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, the NBA and Coach Pop for standing with the little guy and inviting him back to do it again this past Thursday night.

You see, that is what we all need to do along with members of congress who agree with us, we need to stand up to the Senator Cronyns of the world and tell them to stop thinking irrationally, to stop thinking immorally, and start placing the future of the country first over their little narrow political goals.  If the good senator does not change his tune he will be jeopardizing not his political future in his party or the electoral future of his party but the future of the country.  ¡Oralé Senator!  Be a standup guy and stand up for your country and welcome in the eleven million hard working, tax paying, country-serving immigrants that are already here.  Standup senator and embrace them, give them an abrazo saying !Bienvenidos ciudadanos nuestros!