Immigration views, distrust mar country
BY MIKE JONES Associate Editor
Sunday, September 11, 2011
9/11/11 at 3:17 AM
There are plenty of reasons
in Washington,
D.C., for the gridlock
created by the partisanship
fueled by the 2012 elections.
The finger-pointing and
blame-laying inspired by
the immigration debate is a
prime example.
Last week, a story in the
Tulsa World by reporter
Ginnie Graham pointed out
that a change in deportation
guidelines by the Obama
administration has created
some hope for the many illegal
immigrants.
It was not an amnesty
proclamation as some have
described it, or hoped for. It
merely gave officials of the
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Agency some
discretion in who they prosecute
and how.
The memo from ICE Director
John Morton said the
agency should focus more
aggressively on illegal immigrants
who are a threat
to public safety and repeat
immigration law violators.
A second statement from
Homeland Security Secretary
Janet Napolitano ordered
a case-by-case review
of 300,000 pending cases.
She also said those involved
in closed cases would be
given a chance to apply for a
work permit.
It’s not amnesty
For those who jump to
criticize President Obama
for being soft on illegal immigration,
one only has to
look to the statistics. The
number of immigration
cases pending in courts in
the U.S. was at an all-time
high — 267,752 — at the end
of 2010. That was 44 percent
higher than at the end
of 2008.
Nevertheless, it didn’t
stop the political rhetoric.
First District U.S. Rep.
John Sullivan, was quick to
throw some gasoline on a
political bonfire.
“This is the latest example
of the Obama administration
playing politics with
immigration policy,” he said.
“The American people are
demanding that our immigration
laws be strengthened
and enforced, while
the president is looking
for any way he can find to
bypass them — and that is
unacceptable. Our immigration
problem is not going to
solve itself, and looking the
other way only magnifies
the problem”
Of whom, exactly, is Sullivan
speaking?
I have in the past agreed
with the congressman on
several issues and have said
that he has worked hard for
his First District, his country
and his state. On this,
however, we disagree. Sullivan
has demagogued this
issue for too long.
If the congressman is so
adamant about changing
immigration policy, then
he and his buddies in Congress
need to get off the
dime. Even when President
George W. Bush tried to
push through reasonable
immigration change, he was
defeated by members of his
own party in Congress.
Stir it up
Still, Sullivan and his pals
return home and stir up the
anti-immigration crowd by
encouraging them to support
local and state laws, most of
which are unconstitutional,
not to mention immoral.
Sullivan is not stupid. He
knows that any kind of lasting,
lawful and fair immigration
policy must come from
Congress. Immigration remains
a federal, not a state,
issue.
Has Obama done enough
on his own? No. He promised
immigration law reform
but has not delivered.
There is plenty of blame
to go around in the nation’s
capital. But Sullivan and his
congressional colleagues
haven’t the political guts to
tell voters back home that
state laws are the wrong
way and then step up and
push through good federal
policy.
Illegal immigration is
an important issue for this
country. But it also is a good
campaign issue. Tell the
people what they want to
hear, not what they need to
hear.
Deep distrust
Sadly, the rancor in this
country is not confined to
illegal immigrants or to Hispanics
in general. It goes
deeper. It is a distrust of anyone
different. It is a fire that
someday, if it is not extinguished,
will burn through
society and the country.
On this day, of all days,
the day we stop to remember
those who died in the
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we
still cannot find the wherewithal
to accept those who
are different. The thousands
who died in New York City,
the Pentagon and in a farm
field in Pennsylvania were
a diverse group. They were
from as many ethnic backgrounds
as can be imagined.
Most were U.S. citizens.
Do we honor only those
with whom we agree or
those of the same faith or
ethnicity? Do we condemn
an entire culture because of
real or imagined threats? Do
we shut out those seeking a
better life? I hope not.
The discourse in Washington
and throughout the
country does nothing to
honor those who died on
that day or those who have
died before and since to secure
our freedom.
America, America
God shed his grace on thee.
And crown thy good with
brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
On this day, we are all
one. We can only hope that
it lasts.
Original Print Headline: We are one
Mike Jones, 918-581-8332
Mike.jones@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
First District Congressman John Sullivan speaks during a town hall in Owasso on June 30. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World file
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