Jeanfromfillmore
02-19-2010, 02:57 PM
Group pushes immigration reform
By Dan Horn • dhorn@enquirer.com • February 19, 2010
Immigration reform activists launched a campaign Friday in Cincinnati to overhaul immigration laws that they say destroy families and hurt the nation's economy.
The effort, dubbed "Reform Immigration for America," is part of a national push for changes that would include granting legal status to millions of illegal immigrants.
"We are calling on Congress to make comprehensive immigration reform, and we want them to make it a priority," said the Rev. Jim Schutte, a Catholic priest in Cincinnati. "Now is the time. We just can't wait any longer."
But opponents of the reform effort say this is the worst possible time to ask Congress to act.
They say the reform campaign is misguided and unlikely to get much traction in Congress because of the brutal political climate and upcoming mid-term elections, which tend to make lawmakers wary of hot-button issues like immigration.
"They're trying to drum up interest in passing amnesty for illegal immigrants," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that favors tougher enforcement of immigration laws.
"It's not going anywhere," he said. "There's no chance. I'm not even sure why they're bothering at this point." He said the chances for reform were much better in 2006 and 2007, when Congress failed to pass a law despite support from a Republican president and Democrats in Congress.
The pro-reform activists who turned out Friday at the Su Casa Hispanic Center in Cincinnati said they are undaunted by the challenges they face in Congress. They said they are reaching out to lawmakers across the country, including Ohio Sen. George Voinovich, and are urging them to move forward with immigration reform.
"They can only be apathetic if we allow them to be apathetic," said Karen Dabdoub, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "If we don't speak out and take a leadership role, we're part of the problem."
Dabdoub and other reformers said legalizing millions of immigrants would help the economy - rather than hurt it, as opponents say - by allowing them to buy homes, open bank accounts and live without fear of deportation and separation from their American-born children.
Schutte said immigration reform is a cause both Democrats and Republicans should support.
"Comprehensive immigration reform is a wonderful opportunity for Congress to be non-partisan," he said. "This is an opportunity for them to be what they say they want to be."
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100219/NEWS01/2200327/Group+pushes+immigration+reform
By Dan Horn • dhorn@enquirer.com • February 19, 2010
Immigration reform activists launched a campaign Friday in Cincinnati to overhaul immigration laws that they say destroy families and hurt the nation's economy.
The effort, dubbed "Reform Immigration for America," is part of a national push for changes that would include granting legal status to millions of illegal immigrants.
"We are calling on Congress to make comprehensive immigration reform, and we want them to make it a priority," said the Rev. Jim Schutte, a Catholic priest in Cincinnati. "Now is the time. We just can't wait any longer."
But opponents of the reform effort say this is the worst possible time to ask Congress to act.
They say the reform campaign is misguided and unlikely to get much traction in Congress because of the brutal political climate and upcoming mid-term elections, which tend to make lawmakers wary of hot-button issues like immigration.
"They're trying to drum up interest in passing amnesty for illegal immigrants," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that favors tougher enforcement of immigration laws.
"It's not going anywhere," he said. "There's no chance. I'm not even sure why they're bothering at this point." He said the chances for reform were much better in 2006 and 2007, when Congress failed to pass a law despite support from a Republican president and Democrats in Congress.
The pro-reform activists who turned out Friday at the Su Casa Hispanic Center in Cincinnati said they are undaunted by the challenges they face in Congress. They said they are reaching out to lawmakers across the country, including Ohio Sen. George Voinovich, and are urging them to move forward with immigration reform.
"They can only be apathetic if we allow them to be apathetic," said Karen Dabdoub, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "If we don't speak out and take a leadership role, we're part of the problem."
Dabdoub and other reformers said legalizing millions of immigrants would help the economy - rather than hurt it, as opponents say - by allowing them to buy homes, open bank accounts and live without fear of deportation and separation from their American-born children.
Schutte said immigration reform is a cause both Democrats and Republicans should support.
"Comprehensive immigration reform is a wonderful opportunity for Congress to be non-partisan," he said. "This is an opportunity for them to be what they say they want to be."
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100219/NEWS01/2200327/Group+pushes+immigration+reform