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Arizona Lincoln Republicans

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Immigration: Obama’s Greatest Failure?

by on Oct. 27, 2012, under Arpaio, Birthright Citizenship, Citizenship Stripping, Hispanics, Immigration Reform, Latinos, Obama, SB1070

By Thomas Martin Salazar, (content originally Published through Cafe con Leche Republicans)

In 2008 President Obama made a promise to many Hispanics and Latinos that said he would make immigration reform priority. He promised that immigration reform was an important issue that should not wait to be addressed down the road, but during his first term.

Here we are four years later and in an interview with Univision, Obama tells the American people that his greatest failure was not passing comprehensive immigration reform.  This would be ironic if it was not such a tragic understatement. In fact, President Obama and his administration are aggressively  enforcing  immigration laws.

In the last four years President Obama rounded up and deported more than 1.5 million illegal immigrants. Moreover, he masqueraded as an immigration reformer – working to seduce the Latino community, by suing Arizona all the way up to the Supreme Court for passing SB 1070 and by opposing Maricopa county Sheriff, Joe Arpaio. Yes Obama and his campaign surrogates boast with pride about how Obama is the immigrant’s champion, but they neglect to tell the truth about Obama’s own immigration policies.

They conveniently ignore the fact that Obama has pioneered the Secure Communities program. According to a Research Report by Aarti Kohli, Peter Markowitz, and Lisa Chavez, President Obama took this pilot program, which was started under President Bush, from 14 jurisdictions to 1,595. This program empowers state and local police all throughout the United States, to do the very exact things for which his administration sued Arizona and Maricopa county Sheriff Joe Arpaio. More revealing statistics from the same research study states,

“Latinos comprise 93% of individuals arrested through Secure Communities though they only comprise 77% of the undocumented population in the United States;”

And

“Only 2% of non-citizens arrested through Secure Communities are granted relief from deportation by an immigration judge as compared to 14% of all immigration court respondents who are granted relief”

This is unequivocally a disproportionate assault on Latinos. But the facts do not stop here.  The President has deported more than 1.5 million illegal immigrants, which averages to just below 400,000 people a year. Furthermore, Obama’s immigration policies have left more than 5,000 American citizens in foster care because their parents were rounded up and deported. His administration in the name of national security continues to deny passports to United States citizens whose birth certificates came from midwife and not through a hospital. This has disproportionately affected Latinos. This new policy of no longer accepting midwife birth certificates as an acceptable form of Identification goes far beyond just impacting Latinos who are seeking to obtain passports; in fact, there are even incidents where Federal immigration officials coerced United States citizens into signing away their citizenship. These are not the actions of a man who cares about immigrants and their families nor is it the actions of an immigration reformer.

Recently Obama has again been making his rounds – reaching out to Latinos with his promise and message of reform. Ironically, Obama and his campaign want Americans to believe that immigration reform will become a reality within the next four years. Indeed, it is such an important issue to our President that he failed to even reference immigration in his new glossy pamphlet. Thus it seems that immigration reform is not as important as the President claims.  Then again, in the first four years immigration reform was supposedly a high priority.

While the President plays the victim, blaming lack of bipartisanship for why he has failed to pass immigration reform, I would ask you to look at his real record on immigration. Look at the millions of people he has rounded up and deported. Moreover, how debased it is that our government would see fit to seize children from their own parents, and place them in the foster care system. What type of nation have we become, when basic parental rights and child rights are neglected? Sadly, under President Obama this is a reality. Obama needs to be held accountable for his deception. In the end, Latinos have a choice of either voting for the deporter-in-chief or they can vote for a new direction.

Editors note: as with all blog postings that appear with a by-line, the opinions presented are the author’s and not necessarily the positions of Cafe Con Leche Republicans.

 

Thomas Martin Salazar is an Arizona leader of the Café con Leche Republicans. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Grand Canyon University and is currently working on obtaining a MDiv in Biblical Communication from Phoenix Seminary. Thomas has also served as the Grand Canyon University College Republicans Vice President and interim President (February 2007-April 2008) and as a Maricopa County Republican Precinct committeeman (August 2009 – August 2012).

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 27th, 2012 at 11:21 am and is filed under Arpaio, Birthright Citizenship, Citizenship Stripping, Hispanics, Immigration Reform, Latinos, Obama, SB1070. Tags for this post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • wigglwagon

    He is dreaming. The economy is his greatest failure. He is so far out of touch with reality that he either does not know or cannot admit that illegal immigration is a major cause of the failed economy.

    Wake up Mr. Obama. Both Democrats and Republicans have spent the last 30 years helping American business (the so called job creators) use free trade, illegal immigration, and deregulation to increase profits by driving down wages and destroying benefits. In the process, they have also destroyed the exceptional demand for goods and services that used to allow businesses to prosper while supplying goods and services to satisfy that demand.

    Both Obama and Romney are still preaching that we need more free trade agreements.

    Obama still says we need more immigrant workers of all kinds.

    Romney says we need more highly skilled immigrant workers.

    Further inflation of the supply of labor only drives wages lower and decreases the demand even further. That will bring on another round of layoffs and unemployent.

    Until America returns to protecting it’s workers from the insatiable greed of employers, there will be no return to prosperity for America.

    • Bob Quasius

      You are correct that the economy is Obama’s biggest failure, but incorrect that illegal immigration is a major cause of the failed economy. In fact most economists think illegal immigration is neutral to positive for the economy, while immigration of highly skilled is very positive because many of these immigrants start new companies, industries, etc.

      Illegal immigration slightly depresses wages of high school dropouts, less than 10% according to most economists. However, that brings up the question whether their legal status is used as leverage against them, and if un-sklled wages would improve if their status was legalized. There are also jobs in industries like agriculture that are heavily dependent upon immigration. Just 12% of non-citizen farm workers have visas because the H2A program is a mess. Most Americans simply don’t want these jobs and places like Yuma have depression era levels of unemployment even as farmers struggle to find workers.

      According to the Commerce Department, for every job on-the-farm there are 3.1 jobs off-the-farm. Driving away unauthorized farm workers without providing them with adequate means to hire legal and willing workers hurts not only farmers but also related industries that employ a much higher percentage of legal workers.

      Levels of illegal immigration track labor needs among unskilled and low skilled jobs. When the economy is strong illegal immigration surges; when the economy is weak it slows. Last data I saw showed illegal immigration has dropped to a net flow of zero, since departures equal new arrivals. However I don’t see the economy booming as one would expect if illegal immigration was a cause.

      During the great depression, the U.S. deported approximately one million “Mexicans” to address unemployment and it failed to help our economy, in fact there’s a stain on our history because 60% of those “Mexicans” were U.S. citizens, and a sizable percentage of the other 40% were here legally, since obtaining a visa before that era wasn’t so difficult as now.

      By WWII we had labor shortages and the Braceros program was implemented to address that. When the U.S. economy surged following the end of WWII, Braceros quotas failed to meet the needs of the surging post-war economy and illegal immigration surged, but the economy boomed despite illegal immigration.

      Obama has failed to sign a single single free trade agreement other than those in-progress when he took office.

      • Joel Wischkaemper

        economists think illegal immigration is neutral to positive for the economy

        Not even close. They cost the American Taxpayers about 100 billion a year and if we provide amnesty to them.. it would be another 2.3 trillion dollars.
        http://immigrationcounters.com/index.html
        http://immigrationcounters.com/datasource.html

      • Fraser007

        Spoken like a true “Open Borders” Republican. Whatever that is? Just think what our world will look like with 15 million Mexicans becoming ‘citizens”. No more two party system. They will all vote Democrat. Add to that their birthrate, we are doomed.

        • Your_Uncle_Karl

          “…we are doomed.” Yep…pretty much over for you guys.
          Q: What do you call 15 million Mexicans becoming citizens?
          A: A good start.

        • Bob Quasius

          We don’t support open borders. Never have, never will.

          62% of U.S. Hispanics are center-right with values more aligned with the Republican Party than Democrats. Moreover, immigrants are even more conservative. Too bad shrill rhetoric from a small minority of Republicans combined with lack of outreach allows Democrats to frame Republicans as the party of racists.

          President Bush proved the GOP can boost support among Hispanics with outreach and sensible policy positions.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ado-Christian/100003744992896 Ado Christian

        No reasonable US citizen believes the open border agenda you have presented has a factual basis.

        • Bob Quasius

          Establishing sensible immigration policies also contributes to border security by diverting migrant workers from illegal channels to legal channels. When we limit visas to less than 20% of needs, illegal immigration is the result. History has shown this to be the case over and over.

          We don’t support open borders; never have, and never will.

          • Fraser007

            80% of Latino voters will vote for Obama. And you bitch and moan constantly about how many of the illegals are being sent home. Tough. Send them home.

            • Bob Quasius

              Actually I’d rather deport a few ugly Americans, who are to be found in abundance commenting here…

      • wigglwagon

        Bob Quasius says,

        “You are correct that the economy is Obama’s biggest failure, but incorrect that illegal immigration is a major cause of the failed economy. In fact most economists think illegal immigration is neutral to positive for the economy, while immigration of highly skilled is very positive because many of these immigrants start new companies, industries, etc.”

        You are ignoring the most basic of all economic principles.

        Most economists say exactly what their bosses want them to say.

        The second most basic principle of supply and demand says that inflating the supply of labor lowers the wages employers must pay for that labor.

        No matter how you and the other exploitive employers try to spin it, it really is that simple.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Francis/100003689645540 Dave Francis

    California is a Sanctuary State for illegal aliens, shielded by a Liberal Governor Jerry Brown, and a near Socialist Sacramento assembly, that have an outrageous nerve to ask for more money for education. The school system is drowned in illegal alien children, which are forced on the taxpayers by the courts in uncompensated financial requirements. A state measure 30, a so called temporary tax to fund schools and 38 which is another measure for even extra funding for schools to employ thousands of more teachers is a ridiculous burden. This is the never ending cycle when California voters are being scammed to empty their pocket books. This is just another travesty of an educational system broken, as more of the taxpayers money is just be absorbed to pay for the overcrowded schools, but not just in California, but across the 50 states to pay for the education of illegal alien children. Just go into the schools in Los Angeles, and half the staff in the office is bilingual and the classrooms are overloaded with kids who can hardly comprehend English. It surprised me before I left California that the school my son was in, that an American flag was even flying.

    Californians or come to that, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico in the Southwest need more tax money, but the issue is it just attracts illegal migrant and immigrant females in smuggling a large majority of unborn babies across borders or on international flights. The American federation of Immigration Reform (FAIR) in a report estimates that over 400.000 babies are smuggled into America annually through this method. All those children receive free delivery and as they are credited with immediate citizenship, the parent or parents are able to settle here for good. This is a carefully orchestrated situation that the politicians say little about, as they have already been coerced by the migrant organizations as the radical La Raza. The smuggling of the unborn is the origination of the children of the Dream Act. Hundreds of billions of dollars are needed every year, because the parents recognize the more children they conceive, the more difficult it is to deport them. Then even should the parents leave the child is still a holder of a U.S. passport and can return at a later date.

    At the age of 18 they can their sponsor the parents, as then they are supposedly are able to financially support them. In most cases this is seldom happens in perpetuity, for then the parents are then catered to by the U.S. government after the sponsors no longer keeps them financially stable. Now enter–“THE BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ACT, which will eliminate these entries, so at least one parent must have valid citizenship, for the child to gain citizenship. This would be very financially beneficial to U.S. taxpayers that would halt this activity, and would save over 100 billion dollars a year. This law will bring to halt illegal aliens bringing their children here to take advantage of our health services, educational system and many more free programs with cash benefits. Our borders still remain wide open in many places, including Canada for the illegal importation of drugs and people. For the record an estimate of a million legal immigrants are admitted to this nation each year, but we should recognize in this global market we should allow a steady stream of the paramount top list of Scientists, Technology, Engineering and mathematicians (STEM WORKERS) who would be highly beneficial to Americas future. What we don’t need are more people with no qualification, no education and adding to our own people who live in poverty.

    Under another Obama 4 year administration is a promise to the 20 million plus illegal aliens a Path to Citizenship. So not only illegal aliens will be tempted to vote for the man, but many will and Democrats will intentionally stay oblivious. The cost according to the Heritage Foundation is well over TWO TRILLION DOLLARS to complete the process, which includes Social Security, Supplementary Social Security, retirement, pensions, health care, education and other different financial programs; much of it paid for by taxpayers. At a working age, American citizens begin paying for their retirement, having paid into these systems, but illegal migrants and immigrants in the majority have not? In fact they are even fraudulently using their children to collect 4.6 Billion dollars in child credits, which this government and probably the previous ones don’t think its worth prosecuting?

    • Fraser007

      Great comment. Hope the a lot of people read it. There is no such thing as “immigration reform”. get in line and wait like everybody else.
      We really don’t need 15 million more mexican peons here. Why? Build a wall, deport them all.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ado-Christian/100003744992896 Ado Christian

      Spot on!

  • Bernardo Eureste

    Thinking like Thomas Martin Salazar represents no more than 25% of Latino thinking in the US. Obama is going to win on November 6. A good reason for the victory will be due to the high voter support Obama has in the Latino community. Self-deport as a policy statement is scary. Implementation of such a policy will not happen because Romney will not have a chance to put it in to effect. Self-deportation is a very loud message that came out of Romney mouth. His promise to veto the Dream Act if it were passed, to shut down the Obama executive order Deferred Action and to resort to e-verify sent a shock wave through the Latino community loud and clear. If Romney had a chance, he would use Secure Communities and E-verify to cause a self-deportion of millions of undocumented persons. That would be the new immigration policy of a Romnety administration. Latinos are lighting candles and voting for an Obama victory on November 6. Their prayers and their votes will be rewarded with an Obama victory.

    • Fraser007

      Thats why I voted for Romney. Deport the 15 million illegal mexican breeders. They snuck in here they can sneak back to mexico. Charhe me more for my hotel room and veggies if it rids us of the illegals. If we could pick who came here it sure wouldnt be them. I vote for 2 million Indian rngineers, 1 million Korean steel workers and about 7 million Swedes, Germans, English.
      We will see who wins on Nov.6th.

      • Fraser007

        type: “Charge” me more….

  • Joel Wischkaemper

    In fact, President Obama and his administration are aggressively enforcing immigration laws.
    ———————————————-
    1.5 million in four years? The average deportation in the recent past was close to 900,000 and a little further back, over a million. Agressively enforcing? Not even close, but he should have. The people who keep getting hurt by his lax policies are in two groups: firstly, the Hispanics who want many more illegal aliens from Mexico to fill out their ranks and expand their political power. And 2: the Mexican Americans who live in the barrio where the criminal element of Mexico winds up. Go to the barrio in 1989 and it wasn’t the high point in the city, but it didn’t have bars on all the windows to keep burglars our. 2012.. bars all over the barrios in this country, and they do indeed have to be there as illegal aliens wander to and fro.
    We really need a new president that will protect the Mexican Americans.. pretty bad too.

    • Thomas Salazar

      This is forcible deportations not counting voluntary deportations where Immigration officers actually round up people and deport them. Not counting people who voluntarily leave. If we counted that then President Clinton would have taken the prize.

  • CarlosJM

    This would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic. Here we have the creator of the blog defending the author of this article against a half a dozen or more of his most ardent posters. Posters who are what the republican party actually is, always has been and always will be. And Hispanics in droves are supposedly running to the not-exactly-open arms of these guys…Wonder what honest Abe would think of all this bullfeather-type stuff?

    • Fraser007

      Maybe he should read what the “guest” blogger writes. maybe its an idenity crisis of who the “Lincoln republicans” are. When 80% of hispanics are going to vote for Obama that should tell you something.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gene-Ralno/100003461582480 Gene Ralno

    Just a couple of points about this article. First, it seems to accept the widespread misuse of the term “Latino.” It’s an American word originating around 1945 and derived from Latinoamericano or Latin-American. It used to carry a powerful 60-year old connotation of citizenship. “Hispanic” also is an American, not English, term derived from the Spanish word hispanohablantes, which simply means “Spanish speaker.” It encompasses Spain, Puerto Rico, The Philippines and much of Latin America along with many other nations and groups. Regardless, it’s pretty clear that most citizen Latinos stand with their relatives and friends from Mexico instead of their countrymen.

    Open-borders activists, liberals, Mexicans, Democrats, La Raza, LULAC, MALDEF, ACLU, and many others intentionally misuse these terms because they commingle Latinos with illegal aliens. Mixing illegal aliens with sovereign hispanic nations, Latino citizens and immigrants, creates a confusing, amorphous blob of humanity that defies description. Illegal aliens survive in this confusion in the same way that birds survive in flocks and fish survive in schools. Even the politicians have come to realize that all Americans will be much better off without the immense and uncountable numbers of illegal aliens. The costs have been proven and recounted too many times and it’s now time to eliminate the problem.

  • http://twitter.com/JuanCarlosPDX Juan Carlos Munoz

    f
    there ever is a barometer or gauge of bigotry/racism, this article’s
    comment sections can serve as prime example of the current state of
    people’s prejudice. If I was ever to voice such an inflammatory position
    statement people would be ever so quick
    to label me a “hate” or promoter of racial propaganda. Yet, whenever I
    read these type of dehumanizing comments from everyday people, it can
    make me loose faith in my society. I can’t believe that people like this
    can exist, with such views about other human beings, these are real
    people—when these people watch a UNICEF commercial, they empathize
    more with a child/war in foreign land than a hungry child/man/woman who
    is coming into this country to have a better life….

    Did
    your ancestors not come in on the Mayflower? Unless you are indigenous
    with direct line ancestry to the first people of the the Americas, these comments arepeople are practicing and voicing a type of hate….that is deplorable….

    • Fraser007

      Just watch the news tonight. When they show who was arrested for a crime who shows up on the tv screen. In the Arizona Daily Star “mugshots” section of criminals arrested …who is shown. Hispanics. Whether they are illegal or the locals who have been living here its hard to tell. if they are the locals who are citizens then there is NO excuse for their actions. The hispanics comprise 41% of Tucson’s population but they comprise far, far more of the crime committed. I would say you have a problem there.
      I don;t hate. I am just tired of being a victim. Whether it being a taxpayer who has to pay for this crap or a victim of crime. Nobody asked them to illegally cross the border. We don’t gain by their presence. Oh ..I forgot lower veggie prices and cheaper hotel rates. Just because they snuck in here doesn’t make it right. And anyone who supports the illegals or is against their deportation is a not doing the U.S. any favors.
      There is no excuse for thinking that having 15 million illegals here a good thing. “Immigration Reform”.How is it broken? We don’t even enforce the laws that we have.

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