By Felicia Persaud
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. April 29, 2011: President Obama has turned on the full election charm, and despite his broken campaign promises, now is back to insisting he is truly committed to immigration reform.
The President twice this past week, threw the blame directly at the doorsteps of Republicans, insisting to Hispanic advocates and immigration activists that false debates and heated politics is what is really blocking reform, not him.
Please Mr. President, spare us the drama. The fact is that Democrats and the President had control of the Senate and the House for two years and did nothing on immigration reform.
Instead, what has happened is more deportations – a record under Obama, including to Haiti, a country that can ill cope with returning criminal migrants.
Yet Obama continues to play this hypocritical game with immigrant voters as he gets into the run up to the 2012 elections. On Thursday, a very suave Obama met activists and influential Hispanic personalities at the White House, including screen stars Eva Longoria and America Ferrera, and reiterated his desire to seek congressional action on an issue vital to the Latino community.
“The president reiterated his deep disappointment that congressional action on immigration reform has stalled,” the White House said in a statement. “The president reiterated his commitment to comprehensive immigration reform that both strengthens security at our borders while restoring accountability to the broken immigration system.”
The comments came two days after he criticized an immigration bill passed by Georgia’s Legislature that would give police authority to question suspects about their immigration status and again called for immigration reform.
But what – apart from talk – has Obama and the White House done to prove they really are sincere and care. The truth is that George W. Bush did more on pushing immigration reform, much to the chagrin of his own GOPers than Obama has ever done.
If President Obama is truly serious the White House would come up with its own bill and negotiate support among his fellow Democrats while pressuring Republicans to really prove how they feel about immigrant voters. And Obama has the power of the pen to sign an executive order to help bring some ease to those in the shadows, including undocumented students who are being rounded up by U.S. ICE agents daily.
Enough with the talk – put your money where your mouth is Mr. President. After all, you do hold all the power!
The writer is founder of News AmericasNow, CaribPR Wire and Hard Beat Communications.
