por Deepak Bhargava
One of the most corrosive effects of our toxic political environment is the decline of belief in democratic possibility. Whether of the left, right and center, most all of us share the sense that Washington is an impenetrable bubble where politics has been captured by special interests, and ordinary people are not capable of making a difference
The events of the past two months have proven that wrong. Thousands of the newest and most vulnerable of U.S. residents have demonstrated that we still live in a nation where people power can have an impact.
Back in January, the conventional wisdom was that immigration reform was going nowhere this year. Despite the immense costs and human suffering created by our broken system, despite President Obama’s promise to make reform a priority, despite the fact that both parties have a positive stake in change, the wise men told us the issue was off the table. It was too complex, too controversial for a weary and divided Congress. The message to immigrant communities was clear: sorry about that, be realistic, wait ’til next year – or maybe 2013.
Then an astonishing thing happened. Rather than accept the summary judgment of the political class, immigrants pushed back.
They organized marches and demonstrations in their local communities.
They sent tens of thousands of emails and text messages to their representatives in Congress. They launched a young people’s pilgrimage, the “Trail of Dreams,” from Florida to Washington. They called on allies in the civil rights and labor movements to stand behind them and insist that this urgent issue could not be deferred. They had the audacity to believe that our political system could be responsive to our common values and shared needs.
And the system did respond. The President invited immigrant leaders for a chat at the White House. Sens. Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham revived discussions on a comprehensive reform bill, and this past week unveiled the framework for their legislation. The issue was covered on talk shows and editorial pages. Now the pundits are saying that immigration reform might just have a chance this year, if all the stars align and supporters of reform continue to press their case.
The latest chapter in this remarkable story was written over the weekend in the form of the largest march of the Obama era. People from nearly all 50 states converged on the National Mall to call on Congress to pass a comprehensive reform bill that:
• Honors families: Immigration policy that keeps families together is good for the country. Families help their relatives get jobs, get housing, and get started.
• Protects democracy: Our democracy is betrayed by having 12 million people who work, pay taxes, and are part of our communities, but are excluded from the full American family.
• Protects U.S. workers: Decades without immigration reform have created a second class of workers who are exploited by unscrupulous employers. Immigration reform must slam shut this trap door on the wage floor that drags all workers down.
• Honors justice: It’s time to restore justice by ensuring immigrants have full due-process protections and by re-prioritizing judicial discretion over capricious bureaucracy.
The rally’s theme is a message that resonates with special force at this moment: Change takes courage.
There is no way to know for certain whether an immigration reform bill will be enacted this year. As the roller-coaster debate over health care vividly illustrates, reform comes hard these days and political fortunes can change overnight. Immigrants have reminded us of a basic tenet of citizenship: only those with the courage of their convictions, and the confidence to act on them can redeem the possibilities of democracy.
Hispanic Link. (Deepak Bhargava is executive director of the Center for Community Change, based in Washington, D.C. Email him at dbhargava@communitychange.org) ©2010
