From The Editor Marvin J. Ramírez
One of the arguments in the immigration debate that hurts the most, is that those legislators who claim that there shouldn’t be an amnesty because it would be an equivalent of rewarding those law breakers who crossed the border illegally, is that they want to punish only those undocumented workers, the defenseless ones, while ignoring punishment to the powerful, the employers who offer them jobs under the blessing of the ICE. These hirings wouldn’t have happened without the blessing of the immigration in association of Congress and the Executive.
The immigration department for years has ignored the law that punishes those employers who hire them. For years the borders have been opened for those workers to enter the country, while job offer to them continued increasing.
For years the largest U.S. corporations have depended on these undocumented labor force, and have hired them, saving themselves billions of dollars that have helped them expand their economic tentacles.
These recent immigration raids, where families have been hurt so much, make me doubt about whether those who gave the raid orders are just ignorant about human suffering, or just evil people.
What have these people done to them to inflict them so much pain?
I understand about deporting criminals, because any law-abiding citizen would love to have those bad people excluded. And this would be the same if this were Mexico or Nicaragua. No one likes having cold-blooded criminals loose on the streets.
But to treat these economic refugees by taking away the children’s parents, sometimes leaving behind their kids at the baby-sitter or at school without supervision so destroying their lives. That is cruel. I think our country is losing its soul. So much materialism has poisoned their spirits that they don’t feel anymore in human terms.
The current immigration resolution now in discussion in the Senate should not pass or be accepted by any responsible legislator if it excludes a family unification clause. Because, who wants to be here without love, in the absence of their loved ones?
“The American people want Congress to act. I look forward to legislative action in the House that ensures that our borders are secure, that our laws are enforced, that promotes family values with family unification, that regularizes the status of those that currently live in the shadows, and provides for the legitimate needs of our economy,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose).
