Apparently Reuters/Ipsos just released a poll in which the majority of Americans want undocumented Immigrants deported. It’s obvious that the Republican party has a lot of work to do in order to get the conservative crowd on board with Comprehensive Immigration Reform. I say the Republican party because another poll by Reuters/Ipsos reports that 75% of Republicans indicated that all or most undocumented Immigrants should be deported.

After years of misinformation Republicans and conservatives pundits have absolutely soured their constituents on Immigrants. In devaluing the undocumented worker with statements from border governor’s like Jan Brewer, Immigration Reform is going to be a hard sell. We watched John McCain’s town hall meeting last night at a 98% white community (CDP) in Arizona called Sun Lakes in which he was absolutely berated by attendees. Hey, when for years you’re hearing things like, “it’s an invasion, it’s absolutely invasion”, “It’s out of control, it’s simply out of control”, “there are decapitated bodies in our Arizona desert.” How do you think the uninformed white person is going to react? By the way those comments all came from Jan Brewer.

McCain, Flake, Rubio and the rest of the Republicans who either participated in the extremist rhetoric or stood by idly allowing the misinformation to be spread, have a gargantuan task at hand.

Unfortunately for those Republicans trying to sell the concept of CIR to your average Republican or Anglo, there are still many extremist Republican politicians like Tea Party favorite Rafael “Ted” Cruz (R) Texas making themselves prevalent in the conversation and calling any reform amnesty. Apparently Cruz never got the memo.

You reap what you sow. If the Republicans can’t pull this off, they will continue to become less and less relevant in the upcoming elections. It’s the demographics stupid! .

(Reuters) – More than half of U.S. citizens believe that most or all of the country’s 11 million illegal immigrants should be deported, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday that highlights the difficulties facing lawmakers trying to reform the U.S. immigration system.

The online survey shows resistance to easing immigration laws despite the biggest push for reform in Congress since 2007.

Thirty percent of those polled think that most illegal immigrants, with some exceptions, should be deported, while 23 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be deported.

Only 5 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States legally, and 31 percent want most illegal immigrants to stay.

ISSUE POLARIZES POLICYMAKERS

Attitudes toward immigration are polarized by party, according to another the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Seventy-five percent of Republicans think all or most immigrants should be deported, compared to 40 percent of Democrats who think the same.

Tea Party Protesters at Arizona State Capitol (picture by Carlos Galindo)

Carlos E. Galindo is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Sometimes I wish I could take each and everyone of those who denigrates the undocumented Immigrant through an informative journey.

I would start off by having them spend some time in the native country of the undocumented worker. Not for purposes of subjecting them to the harsh conditions found in most of these countries that produce our low skilled labor force, but because I want them to truly understand the complexity of the issue, and it starts at the source, the birth country of the undocumented worker. It’s important to understand that in each of these countries, those who have left for a better life in America act like a calling card to those back home. Some of these Immigrant workers send money, others send larger items through transport firms that specialize in bringing packages to local towns. Some of the Immigrants, previously undocumented, have now through an adjustment of status become Permanent Residents, perhaps even U.S. Citizens. Each one of these scenarios creates a virtual invitation for those that stayed behind by somehow confirming the achievement of the American Dream. This, coupled with comments from the employers who hire the undocumented worker such as: “Jose, I wish I had two of you,” “do you have a friend or a relative that’s looking for work?” “Maria, you’re a sweetheart, my sister, my neighbor, my co-worker would like to have someone like you help them clean their house” serves as an enticement to take that leap across the border.

Equally, each one of those scenarios triggers an action from the undocumented worker and ultimately a reaction from the relative at home. It’s an invitation that’s tendered daily to those in foreign countries as they chat long distance using calling cards or international plans on their cell phones. The good news from the United States of pending employment solidifies a decision for that desperate foreigner who seeks to feed his family in his native country or just simply seeks to live a life like their hermano, primo or tio.

The journey that commences once that decision is made is a dangerous one that traverses the desert region between our neighbor to the South and the land of opportunity.

I have personally interviewed hundreds of Immigrants that have crossed that unforgiving desert. Many share horror stories of abuse at the hands of the human trafficker. In one interview the now U.S. Citizen Immigrant, entrepreneur, and job creator, shared with me that out of a group of thirteen, only six of them survived the treacherous desert. It’s simply heartbreaking to listen to the stories as they sob and break down, at times sharing a story they have never shared with anyone in such vivid detail.

I’ve also personally traversed the desert floor with the Desert Angels, a desert rescue and body recovery organization. As you follow the hidden paths the undocumented Immigrants take, you find shoes that have disintegrated, jeans that have been abandoned after making a desperate effort to strip away the clothes that serves to bake their bodies at extreme temperatures with a terrain that reaches temperatures as high as 160 degrees in the summer. Water bottles abandoned because the water gets so hot that it is undrinkable and simply causes the desert crosser to vomit the near boiling water. Any food consumed is canned or non-perishable, but even that food that would traditionally help give them strength, becomes a cumbersome burden as their strength diminishes hour by hour. Children’s strollers, baby clothes and toys are left behind, telling the story of a tender life at risk as Mom attempts to carry, not just her own weight, but that of that child that may be near death.

I don’t share this with you to invoke some hidden or suppressed compassion. I’m well aware that most of those who oppose illegal Immigration, or oppose the presence of millions of undocumented workers currently serving as our labor force don’t possess an ounce of compassion. I know many of you have been desensitized by political rhetoric and a constant barrage of misinformation and denigrating words like invaders, criminals, wetbacks, and leeches to name a few. I share the Immigrants journey because it’s an important component in the dialog we engage in daily when we converse about what to do with those millions of Immigrants that have been here 10, 15 or 20 years hiding in the shadows.

Every employer that hires an undocumented worker is responsible for the wave of Immigrants who arrive in the U.S. seeking employment. Most pro-Immigrant activists don’t want to touch the employer sanction issue. It’s a double edged sword. They feel as if they would lose credibility if they somehow address the workplace of the undocumented Immigrants. That somehow they’ll be responsible for collateral damage that may result from advocating for enforcement of an aggressive employer sanction law that will penalize the employer and not just the employee utilizing a false identity.

I differ from these activists. As a pro-Immigrant activist and radio talk show host that not only advocates for Immigrants on a daily basis, but converses with them daily, I insist that the problem has always been with the employer. An employer who is willing to hire undocumented workers at an extremely low wage, work them long hours, brag about the productivity or efficiency of his company, yet donates faithfully to the reelection campaign of those same politicians that are creating omnibus anti-Immigrant legislation that of course omits any meaningful employer sanctions. It’s a hypocritical system that utilizes a double standard.

If we pursued the employer aggressively with an employer sanction law that would not just criminalize the employee as it currently does here in Arizona, but focus the criminality on the employer, we would resolve the “illegal immigration” issue. With a criminal focus on the employer, that company or individual that seeks to profit from cheap labor would immediately scream bloody murder, and at the same time they would scream for Immigration Reform, and they would most certainly insist on having at their disposal a system in which they could hire the workers they needed from a foreign country, while having the ability to adjust the employees status to permanent residency based on the longevity of the employment and the value factor to the employer. The practice of talking out of both sides of their mouth in hiring undocumented workers yet funding anti-Immigrant legislators would drastically change to yelling out of both sides of their mouth, screaming out of pain from the stiff criminal penalties imposed from an aggressive employer sanction law while screaming out of the other side of their mouth for immediate relief in the form of Comprehensive Immigration Reform that would meet their needs and the needs of a modern day United States extremely dependent on Immigrant labor.

The private prison industry long ago understood that they could utilize the hypocrisy and the double standard utilized by the anti-Immigrant lobby and the employers. They saw this as as a perfect business model. Utilizing the hatred for undocumented Immigrants, politicians that represent the anti-Immigrant constituency and powerful and eager investors like ex Vice President Dick Cheney, wall street moguls, and financial institutions, the private prison industry successfully cashed in on the anti-Immigrant hype. The private prison industry successfully met behind closed doors with anti-immigrant legislators and were instrumental in creating and nurturing anti-Immigrant laws that serve as a net to capture those undocumented Immigrants so badly needed to occupy the vacant beds at the private prison facilities that ultimately generate billions of dollar.

Make no mistake, there’s a virtual sign on the border that states, “wanted, for employment, undocumented Immigrants.” Further inland, there’s another virtual sign that states, “wanted, for deportation, undocumented Immigrants, no experience preferred.”

I’m in no way advocating for an open border. That’s a common mistake made by most pro-Immigrant advocates. I understand that we’re a sovereign nation, and as such, we must have borders. I also understand that the border issue has been utilized as a tool by both sides of this issue.

Americans need a better understanding of this complex issue that contains some very basic and glaring necessities. We need an expansion of our visa program to meet our work force needs. We need to issue a much greater amount of visas to the country that we most draw upon for our low skilled labor force. That, would clearly be our neighbor to the south, Mexico. We need to address our options when it comes to those that are currently here already serving as our undocumented work force, we need to provide relief for those children that were brought here at a very young age and that have now been woven into the fabric of our country, and, we need to quit moving the fence post when it comes to border security. That decision should not be made based on the whims of a politician that either represents racist, xenophobe or white supremacist constituents, nor should it be a politician who is influenced by private prison lobbyists. We need a bipartisan commission that will submit a reasonable plan based on all the above. We can’t bank on opportunist Latino politicians like Senator Marco Rubio (R) Florida who doesn’t truly understand the complexity of the Immigration issue, nor can we heed advice from “pro-Immigrant” opportunist politicians like Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D) Illinois who seeks an omnibus reform bill that would incorporate the undocumented Immigrant that arrived yesterday.

Archaic laws that remain on the books simply serve to destroy any advances that this country has achieved or serve to maliciously prosecute those “violators” who break these laws while actually serving the basic needs of this country, e.g. current Immigration laws and those who serve as our labor force.

The time has come, we cannot put Comprehensive Immigration Reform on the back burner. We have to be realistic about this country’s needs and we have to somehow deal with those millions currently living in the shadows. After all we invited them in.

Undocumented Immigrant Holding The American Flag

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Why do media outlets label Republican Latinos as key players in the Immigration reform dialogue? I am sick of seeing the likes of Marco Rubio (R) Florida and Raul Labrador (R) Idaho advanced as somehow representative of Latinos throughout the United States.

Not only are Rubio and Labrador not representative of the Latinos in the U.S., they certainly are not representative of the Immigrants in America. Rubio with Cuban roots and Labrador born in Puerto Rico have no idea what it’s like to suffer in the United States. I would best be represented by a white man with a good grasp on the complexity of Latino issues than two politicians that have been placed at the forefront of this Immigration debate because of their affiliation to communities that have been labeled by some as being Hispanic or Latino, such as the Cuban and Puerto Rican communities have been. Rubio and Labrador represent and understand the necessities of today’s Immigrants about as much as Black politicians understand the needs and the plight of the current Haitian or African Immigrant. Just because the pigment of their skin is identical, that doesn’t mean the modern day black politician can remember or relate to what their ancestors felt when they were brought here as Immigrant slaves in the seventeenth century.

Rubio and Labrador are so far removed from the day to day struggle of the modern Immigrant and Latino, that they couldn’t possibly understand the needs or the intricacies involved with today’s Immigrant community. That detachment and their insistence on utilizing code words floated by Republican politicians and pundits creates a credibility problem for Rubio and Labrador. Your average Latino, and most definitely today’s Immigrant doesn’t recognize Rubio or Labrador as politicians looking to serve the best interest of the Latino community.

As an Immigrant from Mexico and as an active member of the Immigrant community in Arizona, I find it truly offensive every time I see a news story referencing either of these two politicians as key players. Why does the Republican party feel a need to pick someone who at best shares the same pigmentation I do to take the lead on an issue that affects my community?

Here’s where we can separate Rubio and Labrador and define them by lack of knowledge and extreme hypocrisy. Rubio is riding the political wave, and after years of trying to blend in to Anglo communities and political mixers with a name like “Marco Rubio”, he’s willing to be labeled the key Latino of the Republican party. It’s all about political opportunism and advancement for Rubio, who I’m sure aspires to be the first Latino POTUS. Rubio’s willing to take one for the team as long as he is accepted as “one of them” in the Republican party.

As for Labrador, we can go one further. Labrador is a blatant hypocrite. After working for years as an Immigration attorney representing clients who yearn to adjust their legal status in the United States, Labrador pleads ignorance when it comes to understanding the Immigration process. What else can I deduce when Labrador utilizes rhetoric like “get at the back of the line” and his comments during the 2012 campaign in which Labrador indicated that the Republican party needed to be an inclusive party, a “party of legal immigration.”

On his congressional page he states his position in this manner:

In order for us to have real immigration reform, our top priority needs to be to first secure our nation’s borders and start enforcing the immigration laws already enacted. To do so we must give our law enforcement officials the resources they need to enforce the laws on the books and secure our borders. I also believe that undocumented immigrants must return to their country of origin and then reapply to legally come to the United States. Finally, I believe that we need a guest worker program that actually works because guest workers play an important role in the American economy and more specifically in the state of Idaho. This guest worker program will not include a pathway to citizenship or amnesty.

Why is Labrador’s hard stance on Immigration hypocritical you might ask? Well, primarily because as an Immigration attorney for 15 years, Labrador claims to have had undocumented workers as clients. One has to assume that if in fact these workers were undocumented, they either stole someone’s identity, invented a social security number or borrowed a friend or relatives identity. In any event that would mean that Labrador was assisting people he knew to be in the country unlawfully in requesting a pardon (amnesty in Republican rhetoric) from a Federal Immigration Judge. I can’t think of a more hypocritical situation, one in which you claim to want legal Immigration, yet you are part and parcel to filing paperwork for undocumented workers to request a pardon for what many call criminal behavior. Can we assume then that Labrador feels that undocumented workers that can afford to pay an attorney like him are exempt from prosecution and do not in fact have to get at the “back of the line”, wherever that may be?

Fact: The Republican party is replete with hypocrites, and Rubio and Labrador are simply part of that same system. The difference is, the rest of the party is comprised primarily of old white men that don’t hide their disdain for Immigrants, legal or otherwise, Rubio and Labrador on the other hand lend themselves to being the brown skinned snake oil salesmen for the GOP.

If I haven’t made it clear enough yet, as an Immigrant, a Latino, a U.S. Citizen, and current President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc., I will repeat it, Marco Rubio and Raul Labrador do not represent us.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on Rafael “Ted” Cruz (R) Texas. That’s a blog in itself.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

I came across this link in my daily web travels. Your average Rethuglican or Tea Bagger will deny to the death that these comments are racist. Their racism is overt and unchecked, and the eventual casualties are those murdered in cold blood because their lives have been devalued based on their skin color, nationality or ethnic origin.

Here are some examples of the aforementioned. Juan Varela a Phoenix man of Mexican descent and fifth generation American, killed in cold blood by a racist that said “go back to Mexico wetback” before extinguishing his life in front of his brother and mother.

Brisenia Flores a nine year child from Arivaca Arizona shot twice in the face by racist minutemen as she plead for her life and said “please don’t kill me” after she had witnessed the cold blooded murder of her U.S. Citizen father of Mexican descent and the shooting of her U.S. Citizen Mother Gina, also of Mexican descent.

Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah Pennsylvania that was beat to death in a park by white Racist youth for being with his longtime white girlfriend and their child. A crime that invoked the following description of the perpetrators by Justice Department prosecutor Myesha Braden “They may not have intended to kill Ramirez, but thought him somehow worthy of being beaten like a dog in the streets.”

Let me be clear if I haven’t already been in my description of just a handful of incidents, these types of comments carry consequences and create casualties.

Are you still denying it’s racist?

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

It is our people (I say that as an Immigrant that has worked the agricultural fields of this country), that work these jobs that require great risk for low pay. It’s the work displayed in this video that allows golf course members to enjoy the beauty of the grounds that surround them as they seek to place that little ball in that hole in the ground while they down their beers and sip their wine oblivious to the work that was done by an army of immigrants at the break of dawn.

Yet, many in the U.S. continue hell bent on removing us, or eradicating us, as you would a cockroach that has infested your cupboards. Yet, it’s us, the immigrant labor, that fills those cupboards with our backbreaking work as white employers hire us conscious of our lack of legal status.

Frankly, we are the bottom card in a house of cards, as you attempt to remove us, the house of cards will fall. We are the infrastructure of these, the United States. It’s amazing to watch the racist, xenophobe, white supremacist, or the so called conservative, attempt to remove us, completely oblivious to the fact that they are harming themselves in the process. All based on their ignorance, hatred and hypocrisy.

This country was built on immigrants, no one has defined it as “legal” immigrants. The reason that it’s never quite been defined as legal immigrants, is because we’ve never worried about checking the legal status of the immigrant, as long as they are willing to work in our fields, clean our toilets, empty our septic tanks, mow our lawns, cook our food and wipe our kids butts.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

How far is ex democratic Arizona state senator Kyrsten Sinema willing to go to get a congressional post in the newly formed Arizona CD9? Well, apparently she has no problem with taking money from an ardent supporter and instrumental campaigner for the Russell Pearce campaign, Gretchen Jacobs, whom many say is Pearce’s campaign manager. As a matter of fact, according to one of her opponents, Andrei Cherny, who appeared in somewhat of a debate/conversation on a recent appearance on Sunday Square Off, a local political show, Cherny indicated that 18 percent of those that have contributed to Sinema’s campaign are also Russell Pearce contributors. During that same appearance Sinema argued with Cherny denying that she had failed to support the Pearce recall because Russell Pearce was her boss. However in an interview with Stephen Lemons of New Times, Sinema admitted that she didn’t want to rub Pearce the wrong way for fear that he might stop her bills from advancing. She certainly didn’t have to worry about him stopping her anti-Immigrant bill SB1225 since she carried with her 9 Republican co-sponsors well known for their aggression in the immigration arena. One of those, now disgraced senator Scott Bundgaard, was forced to resign after he was pursued in an ethics trial for allegedly beating his girlfriend.

This is obviously a disturbing pattern in of itself, however it doesn’t stop there. Sinema’s latest escapade involves her more than willing participation in a fundraiser for her campaign hosted by Ron Ober and the Policy Development Group, a CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) lobbying firm who is instrumental in acquiring lucrative private prison contracts for the billion dollar giant CCA.

As a matter of fact this is the same lobbying firm that employs Paul Senseman who was previously Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s chief of staff. Looking at Policy Development Group’s website they list Senseman’s bio in part as follows:

Paul rejoined Policy Development Group, Inc. in January 2011 after two years serving the State of Arizona as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications under Governor Janice K. Brewer. He brings extensive strategic, political and managerial experience to our clients at the local, state and federal levels.

Before Paul initially began at PDGi in 2006, he worked for US Senator John McCain in his Phoenix office and for three Arizona Speakers of the House as both communications director and ultimately chief of staff for Speaker Jake Flake.

It’s apparent Senseman knows how to play the game, and his affiliation has always been with Republicans and the red party, so what’s a blue ex senator doing in bed with private prison lobbyists as she vies for a congressional post? The answer is simple, I scratch your back, you scratch my back. Given the persuasiveness of Senseman and his boss Ron Ober, the brains behind PDGi (Policy Development Group) you can imagine what it is exactly that PDGi could accomplish with another ally in congress. After all, they’ve already got the state of Arizona in their hip pocket, as is evidenced by their influence on Jan Brewer.

To better understand the business side of SB1070 and the private prison industry involvement please read my previously authored piece linked here.

Knowing what I know about Sinema and her early attempts to center up while still serving as an Arizona state senator, having created anti-immigrant legislation titled SB1225, I am more than perturbed by this disturbing pattern. Sinema pushed heavily for the participation of the immigrant community in the 2010 census. It was as far back as 2010 or prior to that, that her diabolical political mind was plotting and planning, knowing full well what most of us knew, that a new congressional district would be created if they could only get the full participation of the undocumented community in the census. To fully comprehend the effect of the 2010 census on the undocumented Immigrant community and their subsequent influence in the creation of a new congressional district read a previously authored piece on the same here.

So now that Sinema understands the makeup of the new congressional district (CD9), mostly influenced by independent voters, it’s obvious that Sinema is willing to follow in the tradition of Judas Iscariot. The exception is that Sinema isn’t happy with thirty pieces of silver, why should she when she can have a multilevel contributor arrangement as is indicated in the private invite found here and quoted below.

Please join

Ron Ober

for a reception with
Kyrsten Sinema
Democratic candidate for Congress in
Arizona’s 9th Congressional District

Thursday, July 19th, 2012
4:30 – 6:00pm
Policy Development Group
3636 N Central Ave # 590 – Phoenix, AZ

Contribution levels:

Host (give/get) $1,000
Supporter $500
Friend $250

During her appearance on the local political talk show “Sunday Square Off” last week, Sinema doubled down on her love for Russell Pearce, she first professed her love for Russell on the same show a little over a year ago, when she said she loved Russell Pearce. I understand you maybe thinking I’ve taken her comments out of context, but knowing what we know now, it’s evident Sinema clearly loves Pearce, and his contributors, including the private prison industry. After all, this could very well be a marriage made in heaven. The problem is, Sinema hasn’t consummated the marriage, and she’s already in bed with them. Why does the AC/DC song dirty deeds done dirt cheap come to mind?

Sinema will do anything for that coveted congressional seat

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

It sure looked like Marco Rubio was going to be the guy that Romney picked to be on the GOP ticket for November. Romney was heavily floating the idea that Rubio might be his man, mostly based on his desire to attract the Latino vote. In turn, Rubio was floating the idea of a Dream Act that would convince the “Dreamers”, that they in turn, should convince others, that he was their savior.

Here in Arizona I heard some of the “leaders” of these Dreamers on Spanish language media outlets stating that they would support whomever gave them the Dream Act. Wow, talk about betraying the Latino community! Judas Escariot betrayed Jesus for thirty pence, I suppose the Dream Act for some of these Dreamers is their thirty pence. I mean, after all, it’s the GOP that has systematically created laws to attack not just the Dreamers, but their parents as well. It was Willard that said he would unequivocally veto the Dream Act. Yet when Romney saw an opportunity to use a “Latino” U.S. Senator to attract the Latino vote, he jumped on it like flies on a steaming pile of dung on an hot Arizona summer day.

Willard & Marco didn’t count on the fact that Obama was plotting and planning to make a move to seize the Latino vote, and in one fell swoop a series of incidents occurred that essentially assured Obama the 2012 Latino vote. It was almost as if the stars had aligned. Obama declares that the Dreamers would be able to come out of the shadows and receive a work permit that can be renewed every two years indefinitely, then SCOTUS rules on SB1070 striking most provisions as unconstitutional and allowing the show me your papers portion of the law to take effect, Obama, as if dueling with Arizona and the GOP, immediately pulls the 287g certification from Arizona’s law enforcement agencies and further states that ICE officers will not pickup undocumented Immigrants being held for suspicion of being in the country unlawfully unless they were being charged with a felony. Romney’s response? An attempt to one up President Obama by stating that it was not enough and that he would seek a longer term solution for the Dreamers.

Very few Latinos believed Romney, well, I suppose their are still those Dreamers looking for their thirty pence, but for the most part Romney is toast with the Latinos. There is less and less talk about Rubio being part of the veepstakes.

That’s not stopping Rubio though. He’s clearly still coveting that spot on the GOP ticket, and he’s making sure that the conservative folk see him. I suppose it would be hard to miss him with his new sales tactic. He’s pounding the street town by town as any self serving politician would do, selling his propaganda, I mean book, “An American Son.” What makes this book tour interesting is Rubio’s attempt to make sure you can’t miss him, he’s cruising around on a huge tour bus with his mug and his name plastered prominently on the side. It might as well say, An American Son looking to be an American Vice President.

Now that Rubio can’t bring Romney the Latino vote, I suspect Romney’s advisors will steer him towards someone who has more experience, can bring in the moderates and conservatives. Shall we say, someone, a bit more vanilla.

Hey, look at me!

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Well it sure looks like my pro Immigration colleagues missed the boat again. As soon as I heard Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio allege that ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) was working with him on picking up the undocumented Immigrants he has been detaining, I knew there was more to the story than Arpaio was claiming.

I heard a Latino civil rights attorney on a Spanish language radio show blowing it off as just crazy rhetoric, and he further encouraged listeners to ignore the old man. He said they give him too much credit and that what he was claiming was hogwash. The cooperation between ICE and MCSO that is.

No matter how much Latino “leaders” and “activists” want to use the “just ignore Arpaio tactic”, that’s certainly not the way to deal with him. It’s best to understand the man and his tactics in order to know how to counter them or at the very least to know how to inform the unprotected Immigrant community who has zero information at their disposal and who clearly depend on their “advocates” to keep them informed. Telling the community to ignore the old man certainly is not in any way helpful to the Spanish speaking Immigrant community who utilizes radio programs and Spanish language television to get what little bits of information they can for purposes of survival. Remember Sun Tzu’s advice,
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

I had a pretty good idea how it was Arpaio was able to get ICE out to pick up the undocumented Immigrants even after President Obama had made it clear that ICE would not pick up those identified as undocumented Immigrants unless they had committed a felony.

In order to understand how Arpaio is gaming the system, you have to understand the prosecutorial tool he’s using. It’s a controversial law that was conjured up in 2005 for purposes of pursuing human traffickers. The law, A.R.S. 13-2319 is meant to target those human traffickers who make it a business to transport America’s labor force across the border and across that unforgiving desert to drop houses where they are often held for ransom until a friend or family member coughs up the additional bucks requested.

I don’t think any of us have a problem with the prosecution of human traffickers commonly referred to as “coyotes”. It’s precisely that “coyote” law, A.R.S. 13-2319 that has allowed Sheriff Joe to brag about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s cooperation with his deputies. In the last few days Arpaio has netted over 20 undocumented Immigrants and it appears all have been picked up by ICE.

Let’s take a closer look at the method in which the “Coyote” law is being misused by Arpaio and the Maricopa County Attorney’s office. In 2006 as the law came to be applied against those being smuggled as co-conspirators, all hell broke loose. Here is an excerpt from an AZbar article:

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office interpreted the new law as creating liability
for such individuals under Arizona’s conspiracy statute, A.R.S. § 13-1003. On June
9, 2006, this interpretation was upheld by the Maricopa County Superior Court after
the defendants arrested under the statute moved for dismissal under various grounds.
The court found jurisdiction and venue were proper in Maricopa County because
overt acts in furtherance of smuggling occurred there. The court found the defendants
“may be prosecuted for conspiracy to smuggling themselves” if it is proved they
provided themselves as “human cargo” and agreed to be transported as illegal aliens.

Despite testimony from one of the bill’s sponsors that A.R.S. § 13-2319 was not
intended to be applied to the aliens who were being smuggled, such exclusionary language was not included in the statute and the legislature is presumed to have
known and intended the conspiracy statute would apply to a violation of A.R.S. § 13-
2319.

As mentioned in the article, the intent of the law as written and later confirmed by one of it’s authors former state lawmaker Jonathan Paton, was not to pursue those being smuggled, but to punish those doing the smuggling.

The inappropriate use of the law was challenged in a lawsuit by Somos America Coalition and ironically ex senator and political opportunist Kyrsten Sinema was a plaintiff in that lawsuit. Yes the same “Democratic” senator who later created an anti-Immigrant law titled SB1225 in which she hypocritically utilizes A.R.S. 13-2319 as her prosecutorial tool.

So now you know, what I know. Arpaio simply has to get a Spanish speaking investigator or officer to ask these timid undocumented immigrants if they paid a coyote to be transported. By the time they are questioned, their morale is shot, they more than likely have traveled days across a desert that takes it’s tolls in lives. Perhaps they witnessed some of their group get left behind and die next to a bush in the desert, they suffered thirst, hunger and their body has been ravaged by the elements. So when asked a basic question, “did you pay a coyote to bring you here?”, they’re quick to answer, “si señor, le page a un coyote $3,000.00 para cruzarme” Which interprets into, “yes sir, I paid a human smuggler $3,000.00 to transport me. That’s all she wrote! Joe Arpaio now has enough to charge them with conspiracy to smuggle themselves which under A.R.S. 13-2319 is a class four felony. Don’t take my word for it, take a look at Joe Arpaio’s press release outlining the details as I just articulated.

So it’s a no brainer, Obama’s recent policy change indicates ICE will not pickup undocumented Immigrants from police officers in Arizona unless they are being charged with a felony. Well, given the aforementioned information, it appears ICE will be forced to cooperate with Joe and his MCSO goons, thanks to the misuse of A.R.S. 13-2319, another piece of poorly designed legislation by Arizona’s inept Republican lawmakers.

Joe Arpaio upset

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

I just want to point out that Barack Obama’s executive order regarding the Dreamers was the most politically astute move I have seen to date. President Obama not only did what many wanted, he was politically astute in doing so. I don’t think anyone would argue that it was done for political reasons, although I must also add that he had from the very beginning said he supported the Dream Act, which would also lend itself to the idea that he did it because it was the right thing to do.

However, here enters the astuteness of the move, he not only forced the Republican’s hand on the immigration issue, he has Romney talking “long term solution” for the Dreamers. This, after Romney said he would veto the Dream Act if he were the sitting President.

The Republicans have been trying to find a way to spin this as a negative, but they won’t dare say they would repeal the order recently granted by President Obama, they know that to say so, would surely be the defeat of Romney and would leave them scarred for a decade to come.

So, the Dreamers got what they and what many of us wanted, a relief for youngsters brought here at a very young age who have kept their nose clean and have managed to weave themselves into the fabric of this great country. Meanwhile the President got the dialog on the table in a bold move to give relief to Immigrant children and with a very promising future for their parents.

This President and his advisors are consummate professionals and astute politicians. It doesn’t hurt that President Obama is a Harvard graduate and that he grew up poor and as a commoner. This allows him to feel what we feel and relate to things as we relate to them.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Jan Brewer seems poised and ready to strike once the Supreme Court renders it’s decision regarding SB1070. Brewer just issued an executive order directing the AZPOST (Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board) to issue material previously given to officers enabling them to determine who might be in the country legally.

AZPOST, the agency that oversees police officers in Arizona was commenced 44 years ago under a Republican administration and according to their website their purpose in part is as follows:

The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board was created by an act of the 28th Arizona legislature on July 1, 1968 as the Arizona Law Enforcement Officer Advisory Council. The name was officially changed to its present form on July 17, 1994.

The Board was originally created to address the need for minimum peace officer selection, recruitment, retention and training standards, and to provide curriculum and standards for all certified law enforcement training facilities. The Board was also vested with the responsibility of administering the Peace Officer Training Fund.

So now AZPOST’s job is to determine what an “illegal looks like”. Well at least that’s what Jan Brewer, Arizona’s illustrious governor thinks their job is. While signing SB1070, Brewer was asked by a reporter what she thought an “illegal immigrant” looked like. Brewer stuttered as she struggled to answer the very basic question this law hinges on. After all, if you’re signing a law into effect that is meant to be used to chase down and prosecute undocumented immigrants, you should have a good grasp on what the person you’re targeting looks like.

It’s obvious that Jan Brewer never considered what an “illegal immigrant” looks like, just as she didn’t consider the repercussions that signing this law into effect would create. Most importantly the loss of life it caused in the case of Juan Varela who was shot by his neighbor Gary Thomas Kelley just two weeks after the signing of SB1070 and a concealed weapon law. Kelley approached Varela asking him if he was on his way to, or returning from, a protest against SB1070. When Varela, a fifth generation American Citizen told him to leave him alone, Kelley pulled the concealed weapon from his waistband and brandished it while calling Varela a wetback and telling him to go back to Mexico. Kelley, viciously, and in a criminal act of hate, took Varela’s life in front of Varela’s seventy eight year old mother and his brother.

The effect of SB1070 on the State of Arizona has been great and diverse, from a mass exodus of lawful immigrants fearing harassment based on their prominent indigenous features, to the loss of jobs based on large businesses’ refusal to set up shop in Arizona because of the hostile and polarized environment.

Jan Brewer did what was politically expedient and fruitful for her flailing political career. Brewer was not concerned about how Arizonan’s might be affected, or to what extent they might take this law into their own hands.

As Brewer called Arizona’s traditional immigrant migration, an invasion, as she fabricated stories of decapitated bodies and exclaimed, “it’s out of control, it’s simply out of control”, border militia’s like J.T. Ready’s U.S. Border Guard were formed, and a get him, he’s brown, mentality prevailed. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been told to go back to Mexico, even though I’m a light skinned Mexican Immigrant and a naturalized citizen who speaks perfect English.

Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson on Tuesday said, “The governor is optimistic that the heart of SB 1070 will be upheld and implemented,” he went on to say, “The governor thought this was an appropriate time to revisit the issue and make sure Arizona law enforcement is as prepared as possible for partial or full implementation of the law.”

So as we await the Supreme Court decision, AZPOST prepares to issue updated manuals on what an “illegal immigrant looks like” in order to facilitate police officers in determining who they should stop while driving brown.

There is of course someone else that’s preparing for the onslaught of immigrant arrests. The detention officers who work in the private prison industry who make certain that those determined to be “illegal immigrants” are stuffed into cells like sardines in a can, ensuring that the private prison industry gets the maximum bang for their buck, after all they invested a great deal of money in these local politician’s political campaigns to ensure they had the “right” people in place. That of course includes Governor Brewer’s right hand man, top advisor Chuck Coughlin, the equivalent to George Bush’s Karl Rove aka “The Architect”.

Coughlin is a lobbyist for CCA (Corrections Corporation of America), CCA in turn is a giant in the private prison industry and a specialist in detention of brown skinned folks. The influence that Coughlin has on Brewer is astounding. On his own website, “High Ground Public Affairs”, Coughlin brags about the influence he has had in putting the right people in place within the Brewer administration.

Coughlin’s bio states:

Coughlin was asked to serve by then-Secretary of State Jan Brewer as the Chairman of her Transition Team when she became Governor in 2009. As the Transition Team Chairman, Coughlin assembled a diverse team of business and community leaders who recommended to the Governor her executive management team, senior policy positions, cabinet recommendations and coordinated her swearing in ceremonies. Coughlin chaired the search committee which recommended the succession of Secretary of State Ken Bennett into the role left vacant by Brewer’s ascension to the office of Governor.

The Supreme Court decision could come as early as Monday, and as the immigrant community prepares for the onslaught, Brewer’s mouth and arms move about barking and signing executive orders, while Coughlin and the private prison industry pull her strings. Why does this remind me of the song from the sixties, “I’m your puppet.”

Carlos Galindo talking to white protester during SB1070 protests

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is President & Founder of The Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, a non-profit corporation in good standing.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com