Immigration Reform is not dead
These are the words of Juan Martinez, construction worker for 20 years in Waukegan, a village located between Chicago and Milwaukee:
“If Republicans do not like me, I will not like Republicans”.
So simple, so hard-hitting. In the case that Republican extremism prevails at the House of Representatives and have the strength to block immigration reform already passed in the Senate, with its factual veto would also sealing GOP political future, at least for this and the next generation.
The fact is that the vast majority of Latinos – and also most people in the Nation, recognize that the current immigration system is broken and reform is needed to strengthen border security and offer sensible alternatives to those already living in the country.
The fact is that Hispanics are now 17 percent of the population over the next 20 years 20 million U.S. born Latinos will join the electoral universe. While Latino demographics still concentrated on the two coasts and big cities, on a balance of national political power close to 50-50, for Republican Party a definitive losing of the Latino vote is equivalent to committing political suicide.
And as it said by Juan Martinez, and many others, if Latinos feel rejected by the GOP on an issue of identity and basic acceptance, the fracture with the Republican Party will be deep, very deep.
The fact is that today the only reasons behind the extremist Republicans opposition to the immigration reform appears to be muffled only by their character as “illegal”, by their language, by the color of their skin.
Today there are 53 million Latinos living here, by mid-century will be 150 million, almost a third of the population. And identity wounds so deep does not close in so little time.
Make no mistake the Democrats also are playing politics. Having secured the African American vote in a rate higher than 90 percent, surely seek to maintain 70 percent of Latino support of the last presidential election. And for this there is no cheaper way than to seize the Republican catastrophic political vision.
The important thing here is how Latino immigrants may capitalize the new reality in which they, and not their opponents, are on the right side of History.
This is where the agenda towards integration is more important than ever. Not just about Salma Hayek using the American national anthem to project a powerful message of identity and belonging to this country; no. This is the personal effort of each person to understand better their new country, to get the best possible education, for be a better neighbor, to be aware of their rights and obligations. Latinos already are reaching for their American Dream, despite radicals, they will get it.
Not surprisingly, the Republican majority in House of Representatives will seek to build their own Immigration Bill. Playing Washington’s favorite game, surely soon begin to assign blame, presenting for a vote the less attractive pieces of reform legislation already approved by the Senate. If successful this tactic, most likely will try again to veto the path for legalization for the 11 million people who came out of necessity but without papers who have already built in this country their home.
If that and beside all the progress that could be achieved on the road, anyhow Juan Martinez will have powerful arguments –at home, among his closest – to never ever vote for a Republican candidate. At that stage, sooner than later, Democrats have majorities in both chambers. And reform will come.
In any case, the underlying issue is not legislative. The underlying theme is that Latino immigrants, without compromising their powerful cultural roots strive to integrate better to the country they built with their work. A country that was born of immigrants like them. A country that, for the most part, recognizes and accepts them.
August 2013
