Trust Obama?/No le tengo mucha confianza a Obama

No le tengo mucha confianza a Obama
Por Elvira Arellano, El Diario-La Prensa (NY)
5 Febrero, 2013

El presidente Barack Obama y la dirigencia demócrata en el Senado nos dicen que ya van por la reforma migratoria, a todo vapor. ¿Debemos confiar en ellos?

Antes que nada quisiera aclarar mi parcialidad. Antes de que entrara en el santuario, Obama me prometió introducir un proyecto de ley particular cubriendo mi caso, y por supuesto no me cumplió. Luego incumplió su promesa a toda la comunidad latina. Sin embargo, yo insté a toda la comunidad latina a que votara por él, pues el congresista Luis V. Gutiérrez lo presionó y al fin, justamente antes de las elecciones hizo unas cuantas cosas para ayudar a los soñadores y a algunas familias amenazadas por la separación. Pero de verdad, no le tengo mucha confianza. [...]

Lea el artículo:
http://www.eldiariony.com/elvira-arrellano-tengo-mucha-confianza-obama

Trust Obama?
By Elvira Arellano, El Diario-La Prensa (NY)
February 5, 2013

President Obama and the Democratic Leaders in the Senate say they are going all out for immigration reform. Should we trust them?

First let me disclose my own bias. Obama promised to introduce a private bill on my behalf right before I went into sanctuary – and of course he broke his promise. Then he broke his promise to the entire Latino community. I urged people to vote for him because Congressman Gutierrez had forced him to take some actions for the dreamers and for a few of the families facing separation right before the election. But I don’t really trust him.

The question for the undocumented and their families is “who will be included in legalization?” Under President Obama, Homeland Security is trying as I write this column to deport Gabino Sanchez in South Carolina because he has several tickets for driving without a license. Will the President and the Democratic Leadership fight for Gabino Sanchez to be included in new legislation? If they will – if we can trust them to – then why are they still trying to deport Gabino now? He clearly has the executive authority to stop that deportation.

Right after the election, Homeland Security returned to its old policy of enforcement – including workplace raids. That does not inspire trust. In any new legislation “the devil is in the details”. Every person who applies for provisional legal status, the first step in the proposed legalization process, must go through a background check. That is the point at which the whole thing could break down for us and I just don’t trust the President and the Democratic Leadership to negotiate for us. Let me give you some other examples.

If you got stopped at the border the first time you tried to cross you were fingerprinted and have an “expedited deportation” on your record. Currently, Homeland Security deports you. In the new legislation, will you be included?

If you were deported and then returned to your U.S. citizen and children, fulfilling your responsibility to your family, will you be allowed to legalize? If you were charged with using a false social security number to work, will you be allowed to legalize?

If you were deported, like me, will you be allowed to return?

If you had one DUI or other minor misdemeanor conviction, will you be allowed to legalize?

The new bill could make it so hard to legalize that millions will be afraid to register and the whole program could fail. The Democrats have made “the road to citizenship” their red line in the sand. They want the votes. Citizenship should and will come -but the issue we are concerned with is inclusion: who will be included?

Can we trust the advocacy organizations to listen to the undocumented and their families? They have often sold us out to get their funding from the government. Keep the pressure on them.

Can we trust Obama and the Democrats? Let the President stop the deportation of the people he says he wants to legalize. Until then, keep the pressure on them. Legalization para todos!