Imagine living your life as you think you know it. You're sure you know who you are. And you're quite sure where you want to go with your future and what you want to do with your life.
Now imagine watching all of that suddenly fade away. Suddenly, you're no longer feeling so secure. Suddenly, you're unsure of your own future. Suddenly, you can relate to the story of Jose Antonio Vargas and the millions of other DREAMers living in this nation.
Just this morning, Jose Antonio Vargas was arrested and detained by US Border Patrol agents in McAllen, Texas. Ironically, Vargas was there to report on the Central American refugee crisis. It didn't take long for Vargas himself to become part of the story.
But then again, Jose Antonio Vargas himself is a refugee. His family brought him into the US so he could escape the poverty he was enduring in the Philippines and build a better life. He didn't even know he was undocumented until he was 16.
And he's not alone. Many more refugees have come here seeking asylum and hoping for a fresh start. And while a Kenyan woman recently succeeded in attaining legal status, millions more LGBTQ immigrants are living in limbo and waiting for the opportunity to emerge from the shadows.
And they're not alone. Bryan Rivera's mother just wanted her son to succeed. When she sued her abusive ex for child support, he turned her in to ICE. Bryan had to seek the aid of Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) to free his mother from Henderson Detention Center.
Imagine having the solution to this problem right at your desk. And imagine that solution also holding the potential to boost the economy. Now imagine that solution being smothered to death in the lower House of Congress because the 21st Century Know Nothings don't want any solutions.
If Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) and his House Republican colleagues truly care about finding a comprehensive solution to this complex problem, they know exactly where to find it. Oh, and where might that be? Try HR 15.
They don't need to imagine something else. They can simply take up what's been waiting for them since October. And they can actually be productive for a change. Now imagine that.
Showing posts with label Bryan Rivera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bryan Rivera. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
27.
27. That now looks to be the magic number. House Democratic leaders need 27 more signatures on their HR 15 discharge petition. Once they reach 218, they can secure a floor vote for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).
27. That's the number that can make a huge difference for families like Astrid Silva's and Bryan Rivera's.
27. If Rep. Joe Heck (R-????) and 26 other House Republicans simply sign the petition for something they've already claimed to support, CIR can finally pass the House. And since most House members have already said they support CIR in theory, it shouldn't be so hard to put it into practice.
So why has it been so hard? Well, why has it been so hard for the "Republican establishment" to muzzle the likes of Rand Paul? Why has it been so hard for the "establishment" to steer the 21st Century Know Nothings away from the siren songs of Laura Ingraham? Why has it been so hard for House Republican "leaders" to stand up for their own "principles for immigration reform"?
Short answer: They don't want to meet the same fate that's run right into Jeb Bush's 2016 campaign plans.
Longer answer: It's easier for G-O-TEA politicians to pander to the Culture Warrior Id than it is for them to publicly challenge this id. So they either keep quiet on CIR, or they flat out reject any real option for CIR. They'd rather placate their "TEA" powered base and hoodwink all the rest of us with "Republican rebranding" than make any real effort to become more compatible with 21st century America.
This is why CIR has been left to die in the House by Republican "leaders" in that chamber. They're too afraid of their own base.
Yet with that being said, this doesn't mean CIR must die. This doesn't mean that individual House Republicans have no choice but leave CIR to die on the "TEA" poisoned vine.
All HR 15 needs is 27 more House members to sign that discharge petition. And the 30 or so House Republicans who have been asked to sign the discharge petition should look at it this way: 27 may ultimately be the number that determines the future national viability of their Republican Party. Do they really want to be one of the 27 who stands in way of not only keeping American families together, but also keeping the Republican Party as an integral force in America's political system?
27. That's all HR 15 needs for a House floor vote. So why won't House Republicans just release 27 members from their caucus in order to save not just CIR, but also their own party?
27. That's the number that can make a huge difference for families like Astrid Silva's and Bryan Rivera's.
27. If Rep. Joe Heck (R-????) and 26 other House Republicans simply sign the petition for something they've already claimed to support, CIR can finally pass the House. And since most House members have already said they support CIR in theory, it shouldn't be so hard to put it into practice.
So why has it been so hard? Well, why has it been so hard for the "Republican establishment" to muzzle the likes of Rand Paul? Why has it been so hard for the "establishment" to steer the 21st Century Know Nothings away from the siren songs of Laura Ingraham? Why has it been so hard for House Republican "leaders" to stand up for their own "principles for immigration reform"?
Short answer: They don't want to meet the same fate that's run right into Jeb Bush's 2016 campaign plans.
Longer answer: It's easier for G-O-TEA politicians to pander to the Culture Warrior Id than it is for them to publicly challenge this id. So they either keep quiet on CIR, or they flat out reject any real option for CIR. They'd rather placate their "TEA" powered base and hoodwink all the rest of us with "Republican rebranding" than make any real effort to become more compatible with 21st century America.
This is why CIR has been left to die in the House by Republican "leaders" in that chamber. They're too afraid of their own base.
Yet with that being said, this doesn't mean CIR must die. This doesn't mean that individual House Republicans have no choice but leave CIR to die on the "TEA" poisoned vine.
All HR 15 needs is 27 more House members to sign that discharge petition. And the 30 or so House Republicans who have been asked to sign the discharge petition should look at it this way: 27 may ultimately be the number that determines the future national viability of their Republican Party. Do they really want to be one of the 27 who stands in way of not only keeping American families together, but also keeping the Republican Party as an integral force in America's political system?
27. That's all HR 15 needs for a House floor vote. So why won't House Republicans just release 27 members from their caucus in order to save not just CIR, but also their own party?
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Can't "Rebrand" Real Values
They've made every possible excuse not to act. They've done everything possible to block a simple floor vote. Yet they're claiming the President is about to "spoil the well"? Clearly, they still haven't realized they can't have it both ways.
House Republican "leaders" have gone out of their way to take every step possible to kill comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). And they've are it clear for some time that they don't want HR 15 anywhere near the House floor. But now, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Agent Orange) is actually claiming President Obama will "spoil the well" if he takes any executive action to curb the record pace of deportations that have occurred under his watch.
Yet when Speaker Boehner is confronted over when his lower House of Congress will ever pass any kind of CIR, he says it won't happen... Because of President Obama! So let's try to understand John Boehner's incredibly twisted (lack of) logic here. The House can't pass what the Senate already passed over nine months ago because "Obama is a poopyhead!" But if President Obama tries to minimize the damage that's done thanks to the House's failure to pass CIR, that will jeopardize any (already nonexistent) chance of Boehner agreeing to any CIR? Seriously, how does any of this make sense?
There's a reason why the President is facing growing calls for executive action to curb deportations. It's because his administration has already been vigorously enforcing current immigration law since he first took office in 2009. And it's because millions of American families (like Bryan Rivera's) are at constant risk of being torn apart as long as the status quo remains in place.
The status quo is unsustainable. It's hurting families, hurting communities, and hurting our economy. But wait, aren't Republicans supposed to be the "family values" & #4jobs party?
Maybe not. As long as they're blocking real pro-family & pro-growth policies, it's hard to take any of their homilies to "values" seriously. And no amount of "Republican rebranding" can actually hide their real values.
House Republican "leaders" have gone out of their way to take every step possible to kill comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). And they've are it clear for some time that they don't want HR 15 anywhere near the House floor. But now, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Agent Orange) is actually claiming President Obama will "spoil the well" if he takes any executive action to curb the record pace of deportations that have occurred under his watch.
Yet when Speaker Boehner is confronted over when his lower House of Congress will ever pass any kind of CIR, he says it won't happen... Because of President Obama! So let's try to understand John Boehner's incredibly twisted (lack of) logic here. The House can't pass what the Senate already passed over nine months ago because "Obama is a poopyhead!" But if President Obama tries to minimize the damage that's done thanks to the House's failure to pass CIR, that will jeopardize any (already nonexistent) chance of Boehner agreeing to any CIR? Seriously, how does any of this make sense?
There's a reason why the President is facing growing calls for executive action to curb deportations. It's because his administration has already been vigorously enforcing current immigration law since he first took office in 2009. And it's because millions of American families (like Bryan Rivera's) are at constant risk of being torn apart as long as the status quo remains in place.
The status quo is unsustainable. It's hurting families, hurting communities, and hurting our economy. But wait, aren't Republicans supposed to be the "family values" & #4jobs party?
Maybe not. As long as they're blocking real pro-family & pro-growth policies, it's hard to take any of their homilies to "values" seriously. And no amount of "Republican rebranding" can actually hide their real values.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Inexcusable
"Deporter-in-chief"? Again? Why are we hearing this again? What is President Obama doing?
The New York Times published this morning an title detailing the evolution of federal enforcement of immigration law since Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in 2006. Once the Bush Administration recognized CIR was going nowhere in Congress any time soon, it began stepping up ICE crackdowns all across the nation. And even after George W. Bush turned over The White House to Barack Obama in January 2009, the Obama Administration decided to make some tweaks to ICE policies... But nonetheless continue tough & broad enforcement.
In 2012, President Obama seemed to be turning a corner when he announced DACA. Even as many DREAM Act eligible immigrants (that is, they would benefit from the DREAM Act if it were law) have found a reprieve from living in constant fear thanks to DACA, their parents, friends, neighbors, and other family members still live in fear. Even since DACA was first announced, we've witnessed even more ICE raids and deportations.
Since President Obama first took office, nearly 2 million immigrants have been rounded up and deported. This is why we saw "Two Million Too Many" protests sweep across the nation this past weekend. Immigrant rights activists are again calling on President Obama to curb his administration's record breaking pace of deportations.
Yet even as pro-CIR activists protest President Obama's record number of deportations, the 21st Century Know Nothings are calling for even more deportations while claiming President Obama is "not enforcing the law" (cough- Joe Heck- cough- Paul Ryan- cough). And why are they flat out denying the facts and calling for even more of what's already happening? Apparently, it's something about "slaves" and "amnesty" and "drug mules". Oh, and let's not forget "libertarian populism" and "Republican rebranding".
No wonder why Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) couldn't take any more insani-TEA. He recently took to the House floor to ask his Republican colleagues to finally get their act together on CIR... Or force President Obama to take further executive action to halt the deportations that are tearing American families apart and ripping entire American communities to shreds.
At least Rep. Jeff Denham (R-California) paid attention. Last fall, he joined a couple other House Republicans, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Fierce), and the vast majority of House Democrats to cosponsor HR 15. And last week, he offered a modest amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow DREAMers to obtain legal status by way of military service. His G-O-TEA colleagues killed that amendment.
And remember, this was after House Republicans (including Denham & Heck) voted in unison against CIR on the House floor. Never mind that American families like Bryan Rivera's suffer while the lower House of Congress dithers on CIR and forces President Obama into an incredibly difficult conundrum of whether to strictly enforce current law or try to alleviate the unnecessary hardship of these families. It's inexcusable that the lower House of Congress continues to waste time on ridiculous bullshit before skipping town for an 18 day vacation.
Seriously? Do they really need another 18 day vacation while so many American families are worrying over whether they can even stay in their homes? How much more inexcusable can their behavior become? And how can they criticize President Obama over any further action he takes when they refuse to fulfill their Constitutional duty and act themselves?
The New York Times published this morning an title detailing the evolution of federal enforcement of immigration law since Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in 2006. Once the Bush Administration recognized CIR was going nowhere in Congress any time soon, it began stepping up ICE crackdowns all across the nation. And even after George W. Bush turned over The White House to Barack Obama in January 2009, the Obama Administration decided to make some tweaks to ICE policies... But nonetheless continue tough & broad enforcement.
In 2012, President Obama seemed to be turning a corner when he announced DACA. Even as many DREAM Act eligible immigrants (that is, they would benefit from the DREAM Act if it were law) have found a reprieve from living in constant fear thanks to DACA, their parents, friends, neighbors, and other family members still live in fear. Even since DACA was first announced, we've witnessed even more ICE raids and deportations.
Since President Obama first took office, nearly 2 million immigrants have been rounded up and deported. This is why we saw "Two Million Too Many" protests sweep across the nation this past weekend. Immigrant rights activists are again calling on President Obama to curb his administration's record breaking pace of deportations.
Yet even as pro-CIR activists protest President Obama's record number of deportations, the 21st Century Know Nothings are calling for even more deportations while claiming President Obama is "not enforcing the law" (cough- Joe Heck- cough- Paul Ryan- cough). And why are they flat out denying the facts and calling for even more of what's already happening? Apparently, it's something about "slaves" and "amnesty" and "drug mules". Oh, and let's not forget "libertarian populism" and "Republican rebranding".
No wonder why Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) couldn't take any more insani-TEA. He recently took to the House floor to ask his Republican colleagues to finally get their act together on CIR... Or force President Obama to take further executive action to halt the deportations that are tearing American families apart and ripping entire American communities to shreds.
At least Rep. Jeff Denham (R-California) paid attention. Last fall, he joined a couple other House Republicans, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Fierce), and the vast majority of House Democrats to cosponsor HR 15. And last week, he offered a modest amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow DREAMers to obtain legal status by way of military service. His G-O-TEA colleagues killed that amendment.
And remember, this was after House Republicans (including Denham & Heck) voted in unison against CIR on the House floor. Never mind that American families like Bryan Rivera's suffer while the lower House of Congress dithers on CIR and forces President Obama into an incredibly difficult conundrum of whether to strictly enforce current law or try to alleviate the unnecessary hardship of these families. It's inexcusable that the lower House of Congress continues to waste time on ridiculous bullshit before skipping town for an 18 day vacation.
Seriously? Do they really need another 18 day vacation while so many American families are worrying over whether they can even stay in their homes? How much more inexcusable can their behavior become? And how can they criticize President Obama over any further action he takes when they refuse to fulfill their Constitutional duty and act themselves?
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Plenty to Say
This was no ordinary town hall meeting. Three members of Congress came to North Las Vegas City Hall on Monday to listen to Nevadans who had plenty to say on the state of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) on Capitol Hill. They also discussed the real hardship their families and communities face due to sweeping ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) raids and deportations.
Bryan Rivera shared his story on Monday. He spoke about his mother, who was being physically abused by his father. When she sought a way out, her abusive spouse reported her to ICE. She was then held at Henderson Detention Center for nearly a month, even though she was the domestic abuse victim.
It took Bryan Rivera's testimony at this hearing, then pressure on ICE from Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas), to free Bryan Rivera's mother from Henderson Detention Center. She can now prepare her legal appeal to stay in the US, and Bryan can finally resume his studies at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. But as Jon Ralston pointed out yesterday, they're fortunate in that they happened to meet the right people at the right time. Sadly, most families dealing with our current immigration system are not this fortunate.
And those American families will face even more hardship if House Republicans get their way. They voted last week for two anti-immigrant bills meant to challenge President Obama's ability to use discretion when enforcing current immigration law. Basically, they want to undo DACA. And they want to deport more immigrants like Bryan Rivera's mother.
Just before the House voted on its latest & greatest anti-immigrant bills, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) had something to say about the House G-O-TEA's latest counterproductive stunt.
And by the way, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Flip-flop) voted for both of the anti-CIR bills. So what part of "can't have it both ways" doesn't he understand?
While Rep. Heck and his fellow G-O-TEA Culture Warriors always have excuses for killing their own damned "principles for immigration reform", they never seem to offer any real reform. And they wonder why no one believes them any more? Must they wonder why a discharge petition for CIR is underway?
If Rep. Heck and the handful of other House Republicans who claim to want CIR actually want to move CIR forward, they know what to do. Too many American families are facing too much unnecessary hardship due to the lower house's inaction. They've had plenty to say on immigration reform. But now, it's time to act (and not in a counterproductive way).
Bryan Rivera shared his story on Monday. He spoke about his mother, who was being physically abused by his father. When she sought a way out, her abusive spouse reported her to ICE. She was then held at Henderson Detention Center for nearly a month, even though she was the domestic abuse victim.
It took Bryan Rivera's testimony at this hearing, then pressure on ICE from Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas), to free Bryan Rivera's mother from Henderson Detention Center. She can now prepare her legal appeal to stay in the US, and Bryan can finally resume his studies at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. But as Jon Ralston pointed out yesterday, they're fortunate in that they happened to meet the right people at the right time. Sadly, most families dealing with our current immigration system are not this fortunate.
And those American families will face even more hardship if House Republicans get their way. They voted last week for two anti-immigrant bills meant to challenge President Obama's ability to use discretion when enforcing current immigration law. Basically, they want to undo DACA. And they want to deport more immigrants like Bryan Rivera's mother.
Just before the House voted on its latest & greatest anti-immigrant bills, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) had something to say about the House G-O-TEA's latest counterproductive stunt.
And by the way, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Flip-flop) voted for both of the anti-CIR bills. So what part of "can't have it both ways" doesn't he understand?
While Rep. Heck and his fellow G-O-TEA Culture Warriors always have excuses for killing their own damned "principles for immigration reform", they never seem to offer any real reform. And they wonder why no one believes them any more? Must they wonder why a discharge petition for CIR is underway?
If Rep. Heck and the handful of other House Republicans who claim to want CIR actually want to move CIR forward, they know what to do. Too many American families are facing too much unnecessary hardship due to the lower house's inaction. They've had plenty to say on immigration reform. But now, it's time to act (and not in a counterproductive way).
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