The cheap politics of fake immigration fever (hard on Democrats and repubs)

[pampango]

http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/perez/article_c74e2145-50c6-5189-9dd8-f1fe425e72f0.html

With the midterm elections on the horizon and politicians scrambling for votes, Democrats suddenly have developed renewed interest in immigration reform. Unfortunately, it's not because they have any hope of passing significant legislation, but because ---- to fool Latino voters ---- they have to pretend they are actually doing something.

Seeing how the GOP has become self-destructive in the Latino community, Democrats simply sat on their hands for too long, expecting the Latino vote to come to them by default. Yet now that some Democrats are fighting for survival, in races in which Latino voters could make a difference, they are extending a hand, pretending to be our best amigos once again.

Wasn't it obvious that most Republican lawmakers would reject any kind of immigration reform before the elections, especially when many of them seem to be so busy posturing for the support of xenophobic conservative extremists? Of course it was!

The DREAM Act, intended to help only a small portion of the undocumented immigrant population, should be able to breeze through Congress without problems. After all, out of some 11 million undocumented immigrants, it would grant a path to citizenship only to 800,000 youths who were brought here illegally by their parents and have been raised as Americans. You have to be totally heartless to want these young people deported back to countries they hardly know.

Nevertheless, under the current anti-immigrant climate we are enduring, heartless Republicans and opportunistic Democrats abound.