Immigration Legislation: The Road to Reform

In my initial post I stated that I would try to facilitate a better understanding of the Latina/o population through political, cultural, and social mediums. This post will be no different; again, I want to emphasize that the issues involving immigration legislation are relevant not only to people of color but to all of society. For example, one need only mention immigration reform to incite fear in some that is caused by the unknown, an anxiety brought about by changes in the existing social structure. On the other hand, hope is what some desire, they want and in the end they yearn for change. With the implementation of immigration reform some argue that there is a need for tighter border initiatives. Civil liberties groups fear that this may lead to some border patrol agents using excessive force and thus violating the rights of many. I have found two posts to try and bring about an understanding of what people go through when attempting to become legal residents and or naturalized citizens of the United States. These posts will help support my case for comprehensive immigration legislation. The first post I examined is “Immigration Reform, Legislation on the Horizon” and is written by Jennifer McFadyen and can be found at Immigration.About.com. She brings the experience of the corporate world along with the passion for freelance writing. Through her own experience she wishes to share not only her misconceptions about the immigration process but hopes to shed light on the journey that one may go through when starting and finally completing the application process for legal residency and or citizenship. The second post I looked at and finally came to the realization that it was needed to further my point was the “Can the Obama Administration Achieve Immigration Reform? Yes It Can, (Maybe)”. This post is written by Declan P. Mumford and Peter A. Yost and can be found at Blogger.com. Both of these posts argue for immigration reform but from different standpoints. You can read my comments by either clicking on the links to the actual websites or you can read them below.

“Immigration Reform, Legislation on the Horizon”
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First of all I would like to commend you for allowing us the reader to have an insight as to why you are so passionate about immigration reform. Second, it is with great pleasure that I thank you for taking the time to educate the public about legislation concerning immigration. There are millions of people out there who do not know enough about their rights and they need someone like you to guide them to the information so that they can be properly informed. More often than not people get so intimidated when applying for citizenship that they either make mistakes in the application process and or end up wasting large amounts of time filling out applications that aren’t needed. This I tell you from my own experience.

Your post, “Immigration Reform, Legislation on the Horizon”, deals with how the Obama administration is going to overhaul existing immigration laws and make it more accessible to people. This reading states that our new president is dedicated to making opposing sides of the immigration debate work together, and hopefully come to an agreement that is both good for those applying for citizenship and to the current citizens of the United States. The new administration states that they will make it easier to apply by reducing the cost of the applications, making the process work smoother and faster, and by allowing for more sponsorship of family members. That being said there are some points that I still am unsure of.

Your blog is great for current information regarding immigration legislation and it is also vital in supplying links for people to follow to get information from the direct sources. My question is regarding the governor of Arizona (Napolitano, see left) and her interview with NPR. She is now the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, she is left with a department that was ridiculed by a nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. The New York Times called the report a “portrait of dysfunction”. What affect if any does her assessment of our immigration policy have on those applying for citizenship now or those in the future?

“Can the Obama Administration Achieve Immigration Reform? Yes It Can, (Maybe)”
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I will start off by thanking you for your blog. Your post, “Can the Obama Administration Achieve Immigration Reform? Yes It Can, (Maybe)”, is a mixture of what problems Obama has waiting for him once he becomes president and how he must help reform immigration legislation. You do a great job of supplying us with his voting record on such matters as immigration. You also inform us of a bill (Senator John McCain, Ted Kennedy) that included but was not limited to sweeping reforms such as, an increase in border security, better workforce enforcement, and a crackdown on companies that hire illegal immigrants. The bill perhaps more than anything could have meant a permanent solution for the millions of undocumented workers in the United States. Unfortunately, this bill never received much support from the house either the Republicans or the Democrats. You point out that president Obama comes into office with high expectations. He has become president at a time where our nation faces economic problems, a war that keeps dragging on, our health care systems seems to be failing, and to top things off, the immigration issue seems to be heating up again. With all these issues that are confronting him does he have time to devote to immigration reform?

What’s important is that you include in your post that our new president ( see right) brings with him hope and optimism to the masses. That he inspires us to make a difference not only in our lives but that of our neighbors. I am hoping that now we can have true immigration reform. My question is more or less, do you think that he will now push for reform through the bill that was defeated? Do you think that immigration reform (sweeping reform) is possible? How do you think that president Obama will deal with the opposition to immigration reform, as we both know that he is a avid supporter?