On Immigration Reform, There are Few True Leaders

Contrary to the wishful thinking of immigrant rights advocates who applauded President Bush's vague words on immigration reform during his State of the Union speech, I'm not impressed.

He said he wants a guest workers' program and comprehensive immigration reform. That's nothing new. He has been spewing that tired rhetoric for years.

As usual, the president was short on specifics, and even shorter on leadership.

Had he addressed the extremists in his own party and told them they must contain their mean-spirited sentiments and accept a legalization plan for illegal immigrants, he would have really deserved praise for demonstrating rare leadership on this issue.

But, as usual, the president tried to please both sides of the debate.

"We need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country, without animosity and without amnesty," Bush said.

But no one is asking for outright amnesty for illegal immigrants. Immigrant advocates want a legalization plan that would require these people to earn the right to stay here legally — by working, paying back taxes, staying out of trouble, learning English and paying a fine for entering the country illegally.

But — as if to feed the GOP xenophobic wolves — Bush keeps using the word "amnesty."

Even if immigrants were seeking a reprieve, when did "amnesty" become a four-letter word?

Yet some immigrant advocates were elated by Bush's speech, especially since it was delivered to a Democratic-majority Congress that is supposed to be more willing to pass true immigration reform.

But are they?

In his Democratic response to the State of the Union, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb mentioned most of the major issues confronting America today — except immigration!

Mind you, this was the spokesman for the party that regained its majority because in the midterm elections, seven of every 10 Latinos voted for Democrats.

Although Democrats included immigration reform in the Senate's list of top-10 priorities, the issue was left out of the House priorities for the first 100 hours of the new Congress.

If fact, instead of taking a leadership position now that they have the majority, some Democrats are still trying to blame Republicans for the lack of progress on immigration reform in Congress.

Some House Democrats, clearly playing politics with this issue, now say that the burden is on Bush to deliver Republican support for comprehensive immigration reform.

Those Democrats, who pretended to be the champions of immigrants before the midterm elections, are now saying that, by themselves, they are not willing to assume responsibility for a politically sensitive plan.

Some are even saying that as "a prerequisite" for their support, the reform has to be bipartisan, with the support of at least 50 to 60 House Republicans.

But, in fact, the burden is on Democrats.

They are now in the leadership position and it is up to them to pass legislation or pay political penalties. Democrats cannot assume they can continue to take the Latino vote for granted.

If Latinos conclude that Democrats used them in 2006, the pendulum could take a swing in the 2008 election, especially if Republicans stop voicing their xenophobic paranoia.

Of course, some Republicans who thrive on racial and ethnic intolerance won't be able to shut up. The Democrats are counting on immigrant-bashing Republicans like Rep. Tom Tancredo to run for president and hand them the Latino vote on a silver platter.

While Tancredo's presidential bid may be great for Democrats, it can't be very good for illegal immigrants — not because he will sway many Americans with his draconian ideas, but because it will make Democrats believe they can win the Latino vote by default.

In his most recent outburst, Tancredo came out against racial and ethnic caucuses in Congress. He said that if we are striving for a colorblind society, these caucuses should be obsolete. Of course, coming from a man who is clearly not colorblind, the charge is cynical, hypocritical and repulsive.

Yet he does have one attribute many others lack: He doesn't pull his punches. In a sick way, he shows more leadership than the president and many Democrats.

On immigration reform, there are few outspoken leaders — and most are on the wrong side.

There are exceptions, of course. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was eloquent as he recently appealed to his colleagues "to put aside the mean-spiritedness and short-sighted policies driven by fear and recognize the dignity of those whose work contributes to reinvigorating America."

That's the kind of language and leadership that was missing from both the State of the Union speech and the Democratic rebuttal.

To find out more about Miguel Perez, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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