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Congressional Hispanic Caucus to play hardball on immigration reform

Rep. Luis Gutierrez is leading effort to get a bill this year

By
NIALL O'DOWD,
IrishCentral.com Founding Publisher
Published Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 6:39 AM
Updated Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 4:14 PM

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Hardball tactics by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus may make immigration reform a step closer, and tens of thousands of Irish undocumented are among those who are anxiously awaiting news on a new bill.

The Hispanic lobby is apparently threatening to hold up passage of the health care bill in the House unless President Obama ups the ante on immigration reform and promises to push hard for a bill early this year. Obama had promised a bill last year, but that never materialized.

The new tactic could make health care reform dependent on winning over the Hispanic immigration reform lobby led by Congressman Luis Gutierrez in Congress, according to Politico.com.

Gutierrez,a Chicago era congressman, is a close friend of President Obama, but he is determined to push through immigration reform this year and he has already introduced a bill in the House.

The Hispanic vote is increasingly important in national elections and has trended Democratic. If Obama does not make a major effort to pass reform, it could be in doubt.

"You had 10 million Hispanic voters turn out in 2008, a significant number of first-time voters, many of them from immigrant families. For them, immigration reform is a defining issue," Frank Sharry, the founder of the pro-reform group America's Voice, told Politico.

"If Obama doesn't keep his promise to move on immigration reform early in his presidency, we fear that a lot of these voters, particularly the first-time voters, won't turn out in the midterms," he said, referring to races in Colorado, Nevada and Florida.

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20 Comments

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humanitarian | Jan 10, 2010, 08:40 PM EST
If you think that legalizing the undocumented immigrants is going to impoverich the coiuntry, according to a recent joint study by the Center For American Progress at the University of California and the Immigration Policy Center, the opposite is true. They report that legalizing the undocumented immigrants will increase Gross Domestic Product GDP $1.5 Trillion over the next ten years. Basically this is due to the fact that wage rates will go up as a result of the workers being legal which will increase spending creating more jobs and more spending. In the short term ( three yeaars) it will increase income tax revenue $4.5 to $5.4 Billion dollars and increase jobs by 750,000 to 900,000. On the negative side, not legalizing the immigrants will result in a loss of %2.5 Trillion GDP in the next ten years. This does not include the cost of trying to deport the immigrants which would also be in the trillions of dollars. This is all based on the results of the last time we gave amnesty to about 3 Million undocumented immigrants and the effect it had on the ecconomy. This was also in the time of a recession. So, if you want to get the country out of the recession caused by the greedy bankers then call your Congressman and Senator and tell them to please vote in favor of CIR-ASAP.

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ponyboy865 | Jan 10, 2010, 01:17 PM EST
This is all well and good and everyone in this country should be given a green card after they work for it. But, what about the gay couples waiting for the Uniting American families act to pass. That’s so gay couples in a bi-national relationship can bring in there partner. If you are going to give everyone a blanket green light then don’t leave out the gay couples.

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johnusa | Jan 09, 2010, 10:04 PM EST
Don't worry, an amnesty is coming. Both parties are bought and paid for by cheap-labor lobby. We are a moneybags democracy!

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Meggie01 | Jan 06, 2010, 09:15 PM EST
Let them all in until we are further impoverished and in debt. Fill the country up until we are one giant metro-slum of lawless misery. Then what? Look out, Canada?

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humanitarian | Jan 06, 2010, 04:14 PM EST
I certainly agree that it is not always easy for hispanics to enter this country. I know a person from Honduras who spent two monthw walking through the jungle, mountains and desert, hopping freight trains and then finally swiming the Rio Grande only to be caught and sent back twice. Finaly on the third try he made it but had to be hospitialized for de-hydration. I think that the Republicans will be making a big mistake if they do not get on board with the House Bill called CIR-ASAP. President Bush got 54% of the Hispanic vote but when Obama ran the Republicans lost ground and Obama got 63% of the Hispanic vote which was the deciding factor in several states that are tradinally Republican. This bill effects not only Hispanics but many other nationalities including: Irish, Asain, Phhillipino, Blacks and others. The Republicans can ill afford to turn citizens from these countries against them. The House Bill is extremly well written and is very well balanced between enforcement and amnesty. Many will agrue that illegal immigrants broke the law when they entered this country and should be sent back to their native lands. This is simply not possible or practical. It is also not right from a humanitarian aspect. These are good people who only want to have a chnace to enjoy the freedoms that we take for granted. Remember, we are a country made up of immigrants. Many of our forefathers entered this country illegally and we wouldn't be here if they hadn't. I welcome these new immigrants who have faced many hardhsips to be here to our country.

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hyattsville | Jan 06, 2010, 01:20 PM EST
Question for you IrishAndProud… Just suppose we were living in your very own Totalitarian Government where you alone make the rules… on what basis would you grant green cards and to whom? I’m really curious to learn.

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plasticpaddy | Jan 06, 2010, 09:23 AM EST
Vincent Ruane for once I agree with you.

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IrishAndProud | Jan 06, 2010, 03:48 AM EST
Also...I neglected to mention...I'm typing these posts while taking a break from my part-time janitorial job: you know, cleaning bathrooms and hauling trash for a business. The kind of stuff that Justice1 thinks is A) horrible and B) that only illegals do because Americans won't. And I was doing it even before the economy tanked. Oh, well...another myth busted.

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IrishAndProud | Jan 06, 2010, 03:11 AM EST
BTW Justice1, we need AMERICANS to help us with the economy. There are enough unemployed Americans in this age of Obama to cover all the jobs illegals are now taking from us, and then some. You call cleaning homes and mowing lawns 'horrible jobs?' You must have lived one ultra-pampered life, to think that. If those jobs were so 'horrible,' I wouldn't do them myself -- but I do. Further, after some of these immigration raids at some of these plants around the country, guess what? The jobs that illegals once held there are now held by Americans (many of them blacks, who can use the money) -- which basically pops that phony argument of yours like a cheap balloon.

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IrishAndProud | Jan 06, 2010, 02:55 AM EST
vincentruane wrote: "Legalize them all!" No. DEPORT them all!

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IrishAndProud | Jan 06, 2010, 02:52 AM EST
Firstly, Justice1, I'm a 'him,' not a 'her.' Secondly your post contains so many grammatical and proper-tense errors that it's near-flatly painful to read (I have to wonder if you're even a legal resident of the USA, yourself). If you, or any other Hispanic -- or any other IRISH, for that matter -- are in this country illegally, get the HELL out. We neither want nor need you here. Being illegally on this side of the fence does NOT make you an American. It makes you illegally on this side of the fence. As for you, hyattsville, that is pure, unmitigated B.S., calling the opposition to our country being overrun 'racism.' That has to be one of the most tired, diversionary, off-topic, inaccurate, and ineffective tactics you pro-illegals try. And it obviously isn't working, because the huge majority of the legitimate American people (native-born and LEGAL immigrants) OPPOSE amnesty. My Irish ancestors came here LEGALLY and worked their butts off (as did most of those fleeing the Potato Famine), so to compare them with illegals today is an insult to their memory. They actually came here to be Americans, to learn English if they didn't already know it and to assimilate -- none of which can be said about the illegals SHAME on you!

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Justice1 | Jan 06, 2010, 12:35 AM EST
We need them here to help us with the economy. What are you who oppose them going to clean houses, mow lawns, and other horrible jobs. No not unless they pay you good money. But they do it to support their families and pay bills. We need them to be legalize for they play a major role in our economy. I'm shcoked we haven't send them all back, because them there would be hell to pay. Many bussiness would close down or hire but the employees would demand a higher pay which means they have to fire people or close down. Two more appartments and homes would be left and more inflammation would come. The house market would lose millions more because of like IrishAndProud. The economy cannot take anymore hits. Hit them and your asking for the Great Depression. They have dreams and they came here to have them but now racists stand on the way. America was founded my immigrates but the natives were already here. They brought in slaves to do all the work and got no pay. All this you see around you was made by illegal immigrates. But their are people who want America back. They'll get it just as soon as they return all the stolen land from Mexico and Natives and others. And go to the original 13 Colonies. So for you racist and anti's I say damn are you and your family who oppose a hard working American family. They are here so now they are American. May the Lord punish you IrishAndPround and others like her. People like you make American ASSESmericans Thats right i'm an American Citizen and so has by family been for 150 years. Anyone out their want to complaint please feel free to e mail at reza.jesus@ymail.com I check it daily so i hope to hear from you soon. And GO PRO Reform :)

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vincentruane | Jan 05, 2010, 10:37 PM EST
Legalize them all!

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hyattsville | Jan 05, 2010, 09:53 PM EST
Of all the ethnic groups who should have empathy for the plight of the many undocumented, honest, and hardworking Hispanics in this country I would think it would be the Irish. Who do you get to clean your house, mow your grass, and do the many jobs that you won't do on the cheap? How many of you, or how many of your relatives or ancestors, came in here with green cards in hand? Your hypocrisy and racism is shameful and defies belief.

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IrishAndProud | Jan 05, 2010, 09:36 PM EST
Of COURSE the Hispanic Caucus (basically a pro-illegal front group) is going pedal-to-the-metal with this thing. Like with health care, they want to ram it through (or maybe, up the country's collective south end) before the public even knows it's happened. Because if the actual, legitimate CITIZENS of this country ever get full wind of this thing, it's D.O.A....just like it's already been TWICE before, when Bush tried it. They figure with a pro-illegal alien guy like Obama at the top -- and the public not paying full attention, yet -- that now's the time to strike. They're all but admitting that they want to scr-w us, before we know what's hit us. They're leaping at a perceived opportunity, here -- and grossly misjudging the terrible political consequences for their party, if they do. Of course (and again, as with health care), they are probably also thinking longer-term, here: if they can get this thing in before the voters tear them apart in November, then it won't easily be overturned...and they can always politically re-emerge later on, right? This whole thing (and this Congress, for that matter) are so INSIDIOUS. Sarah Palin has FAR higher ratings than this Congress does -- and with good reason.

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