PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON OBAMA

Putting the Pressure on Obama
By Fidel "Butch" Montoya

Finally, the stage in Washington, D. C. is set to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform in the House of Representatives. In speech outlining the need to push for comprehensive immigration reform, President Barack Obama boldly declared it was time. "It doesn't get easier to just put it off, let's do it now. Let's not delay. Let's get this done."

The Senate passed their bipartisan version of reform, which is similar to the bill introduced by Democratic leaders in the House.  In the Senate, it was a bipartisan effort with Republicans voting to pass the reform. In the House, the question remains if the Republican leadership will support moving the bill forward.

One of the most positive and significant signals that Republicans may be willing to support the bill in the House, was made by Rep. Jeff Denham (CA-10).  Denham is the first Republican to become a cosponsor H.R. 15. While several Republican House members have indicated support for immigration reform, Rep. Denham’s support may convince other members of the GOP to cosponsor H.R. 15, or vote for the bill.

President Obama has promised over and over that immigration reform would move forward. Yet, it seems like Obama was always willing to switch his priorities to other issues sacrificing immigration reform.  Obama admitted that immigration reform has been delayed. “This is not just an idea whose time has come; this is an idea whose time has been around for years now." 

Congress has struggled to reach consensus on immigration reform knowing full well that our immigration system is broken and that reform is necessary.  With the American public tired of hearing excuses from Congress on not being able to work together, Obama called on both parties to work together to pass immigration reform.

Bipartisanship was the major theme of Obama’s speech, calling on both parties to make the effort to pass immigration reform now. “You know, rather than create problems, let's prove to the American people that Washington can actually solve some problems. This reform comes as close to anything we've got to a law that will benefit everybody now and far into the future, so let's see if we can get this done and let's see if we can get it done this year”.

The Republican House leadership has been accused of holding up the vote on immigration and using stalling tactics to prevent a vote on immigration reform. Republican members of the House who support reform must pressure their leadership to allow a vote to take place.

This time around, the President seems determined to work to ensure a bipartisan effort to pass immigration reform. Obama directed his comments to the naysayers and to those bent on delaying a vote on reform.

“Everybody wins here if we work together to get this done. In fact, if there's a good reason not to pass this common-sense reform, I haven't heard it. So anyone still standing in the way of this bipartisan reform should at least have to explain why. A clear majority of the American people think it's the right thing to do”.

We all know it is time for immigration reform to move forward.  The system has been an injustice to millions of families in this country, and it must be fixed by this Congress. 

The President admitted as much. "Everybody knows that our current immigration system is broken. Across the political spectrum, people understand this. We've known it for years...It's not smart; it's not fair; it doesn't make sense. We have kicked this particular can down the road for too long...We've got the time to do it. Republicans in the House, including the speaker, have said we should act, so let's not wait". 

This is the moment we have prayed for years; praying for Congress to pass immigration reform for families. This what we have worked for over the years seeking an immigration system that will treat workers with respect and protect their rights as workers, and keep families from being separated by detention and deportation, so let's not wait.

While we have been disappointed in the past by what many evangelicals have considered a lack of commitment and focus on immigration reform by the President, his speech in the White House once again must be embraced.  We cannot lose hope and faith now, understanding that finally our leaders are moving ahead and together pledging to pass immigration reform.

Meanwhile as immigration reform moves forward, we cannot allow the Obama Administration to continue to deport record numbers of undocumented immigrants who are only trying to help their families enjoy the American Dream. The President claims ICE and Homeland Security are only deporting dangerous felons and violent criminals, but the statistics and stories tell us otherwise.

For example, in New Orleans, Gustavo has been detained since his arrest on September 23. 2014 when police stopped him for a simple traffic citation. He was arrested and taken to the Jefferson Parish Jail, and waited for ICE to pick him up. A simple traffic ticket does not meet the President’s definition of dangerous felons or violent criminals.

Gustavo’s family faces an uncertain future if he is deported. His children will suffer the absence of their father and face hardship and despair. 

We must continue to pressure the President to stop these deportations while there is hope immigration reform will soon pass. We must not allow people like Gustavo to be sacrificed simply for the support of some Republicans who will never support immigration reform.

The story of Gustavo can be told over and over from almost every village, town, and city in the USA. So while the President calls for immigration reform, he adamantly refuses to stop the deportation of fathers, mothers, children, and families who are stopped by local police for cracked windshields, broken tail lights, failure to signal, broken head lamps, and other simple traffic violations.

While a clear majority of Americans want immigration reform, we must continue to work for passage of this landmark legislation, and call upon the President to stop the deportation of fathers and mothers – stop separating and dividing families because of broken tail lights and delays in the passage of immigration reform.

The President has encouraged all of us to continue to push for immigration reform. “I want to thank you for your persistence, I want to thank you for your activism, I want to thank you for your passion and your heart when it comes to this issue. And I want to tell you, you've got to keep it up. Keep putting the pressure on all of us to get this done”.

President Obama, we want to tell you, we will keep it up. We will keep putting the pressure on you to get this done, and to stop deporting and dividing families who only seek a better life.