by Raoul Lowery Contreras
President Barack Obama and AFL/CIO President Richard L. Trumka are lying, flaky politicians when speaking of immigration. The same must be said about Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. They are the most egregious dissemblers since a retired Army General lied to Americans and President Eisenhower that his “Operation Wetback” threw a million illegals out of the country back into Mexico.
Some illegals were picked up by a tiny Border Patrol and the INS — La Migra — and deported but that number was but a small percentage of what the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) claimed in news releases. The retired General lied. It was almost 50 years before the truth came out that the actual number deported was tiny but the “estimated” totals were artificially inflated with people that came and went as they pleased without
fearing “la migra.”
So, will Obama and Trumka ever admit that they lied today, the day Obama gave an Immigration Speech at American University? No. They are trapped in their own lies.
Obama’s lies started during his 2008 campaign when he promised to fix the immigration mess in his first year in office — Didn’t happen. In fact, he says that as senator he supported Comprehensive Immigration Reform but he actually voted for Laborsponsored “poison pill” amendments that killed the Reform. His lies continued at American University by declaring that the nation needs Comprehensive Im- migration Reform now but offered no date as a goal to vote for a Reform.
Where was his detailed plan? Why didn’t he show us a plan and release it to the press after his speech. A plan would itemize im- migration solutions, point by point. Instead, all he gave us were verbal very foggy generalities. He has never outlined a detailed “comprehensive” reformproposal.
Specifically, where is his guest worker program? Republicans insist such a program must be part of a Reform they can support. No mention by Obama. Nonetheless, he insists that a Reform must have Repub- lican support and votes. Yet, he does not mention a pro- gram that allows men and women to come into the country legally to work for, say, harvest times or tourist seasons then go home. That alone solves 95% of the ille- gal alien problem as all but a handful come to work.
Obama offers no such program. Why? Richard Trumka’s unions are against such a plan. They insist, as Trumka did after the Presi- dent’s speech that there be a “Commission” in place to decide when and where foreign temporary labor is needed.
We know from U.S. Department of Labor stud- ies that California’s half million farm workers — in the state’s largest industry – – are mostly here illegally. Would an Obama-appointed union-populated Commis- sion see a need for foreign farm workers in California if they could point to LA’s Watts neighborhood with its chronic Black unem- ployment? Of course a ommission wouldn’t. It would maintain that there are unemployed black work- ers thus no foreigners were needed. Would these chroni- cally black unemployed ap- ply for farm worker jobs a hundred miles away, would they, Trumka? No. Crops would rot and food prices would skyrocket because supply would shrink.
Nonetheless, Trumka declares that Labor is “one hundred percent” behind President Obama on Im-of course, as a union-popu-lated Labor Commission is empowered to decide when foreign workers are needed, how much they are paid, how many would be imported and for how long. As long as Labor insists on this Commission, Com- prehensive Immigration Reform is a non-starter as far as Republicans are concerned. Obama insists on Republican support, no?migration Reform as long,Conundrum..?\
For example, Politico and the Arizona Republic have published quotes of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer that make false and irresponsible claims. She says that “beheaded” bodies have been found in the desert that resulted from criminal illegal aliens and/or Mexican drug car- tels. There is no truth to her statements. Reporters checked with all Arizona county medical examiners who said no, no such bodies have turned up, none.
Another example: Brewer lied through her teeth when she declared that “most” illegals cross- ing over from Mexico were smuggling drugs. Even the Border Patrol union’s presi- dent declared her wrong.
Will there be Com-prehensive Immigration Reform this year or next year? There won’t be as long as the AFL/CIO President, the President of the United States and the Governor of Arizona dissemble truth.
We have a passive President of the United States that refuses to lead, a union President who lies and a state Governor who lies whenever she opens her mouth. Is there any wonder we don’t and won’t have Immigration Reform under Obama?
(Contreras’ books are available at amazon.com)
