Open Letter #93 To President Obama – Immigration Reform Now!

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Sept. 19, 2014: Dear Mr. President,

As you may know, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere on Thursday, September 18th held a hearing titled “Unaccompanied Alien Children: Pressing the Administration for a Strategy.”

The hearing came against the latest news that has gone unreported unlike in the early summer. After the brouhaha over the thousands of children coming across the Mexican border from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala resulted in the GOP fear mongers pulling out their big stick of bigotry and Democrats, including you, running scared, it’s hard to believe that the news that those border crossings have now declined is largely unreported.

Why is it that you have not seen the need to make a prime time announcement on this fact even as you quaver to Republican conservatives who are fear mongering among their base and the red state Democrats running scared? This should be a big election move.

After all, your own Department of Homeland Security reports that Border Patrol agents apprehended 3,129 children, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in August compared to more than 5,400 in July and more than 10,600 in June.

So why is this not big news for you to brag about? This is a win for you and many Democrats who insist the border is being protected and reinforced and the worry we have no is within the borders where millions live below the radar and are a mega security risk.

Instead, your White House has again flip flopped like Mitt Romney and instead announced executive action on immigration will now happen after November 4th and not the end of summer as you initially insisted.

Why? Mainly I assume you are fearful of racist conservatives who claim any executive action or “amnesty” will only result in more “illegals” coming over the border.

So again your base must pay the price for your and some Democrats fear and roll over and wait for the Christmas Gift of 2014 that is now promised.

Mr. President, the reality is that you have more than bent over backwards for Republicans. Bent so far right in fact that you have alienated your base in the process with more and more deportations that prove you are for enforcement at the risk of tearing apart families in your base. You have increase border patrols and made history by becoming not just the first black President but the first President who deported more immigrants in the history of the United States.

And now, to make it worst, you keep making promises you just won’t keep. Why? Is it just fear or are immigrants simply a political football?

To many liberal Democrats and Independents, you are coming across as cowering to Republicans who make a lot of noise but do nothing. While the positive work done by you and many Democrats remain a story you choose to not brag as much about.

If you do nothing else before the election of November 4th on this issue at least make it a point to rub Republicans noses in the new figures released by DHS and let them eat the dirt of defeat. This will definitely pave the way for executive action you can deliver with the support of many Americans making you President Santa Claus this Christmas.

Respectfully,

Felicia Persaud.

The writer is CMO of Hard Beat Communications, which owns the brands News Americas Now, CaribPR Wire and Invest Caribbean Now.