Homeland Security

The AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, two big players in the immigration reform debate, are breaking bread to figure out an approach to guest worker visas. Immigration reform is tricky. To be politically acceptable it must balance increased immigration enforcement, legalization of current unauthorized immigrants, and a guest worker program to channel future immigrants into the legal market. The present plan is to create a commission with representation from the government, business and unions. This effectively means handing over control to unions – and is therefore doomed to fail.

President Obama has said one of his biggest regrets from his first term was that he didn’t pass immigration reform. We want to make sure he won’t have the same regret four years from now.

The Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and the millions of Latino and immigrant families we represent are committed to working with the president and Congress to pass legislation that will provide a path to citizenship for the 11 million aspiring Americans living in the United States.

As soon as President Obama began his first term, he issued an executive order that banned the use of torture as an interrogation technique. Putting an end to the violations of international law that were explicitly authorized by the Bush administration was a good start. However, ending the use of torture by members of the U.S. military and intelligence communities does not alone satisfy our obligations under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment.

President Barack Obama’s inaugural address embraced a vibrant and tenacious vision for the United States, calling on us, as citizens of this great nation, to “set this country’s course.” He emphasized the need for America to rejuvenate itself as a land of opportunity, where students and high-skilled workers are welcomed and incorporated into society, rather than expelled. We must now embrace the president’s call for comprehensive immigration reform and honor our nation’s legacy of economic prosperity and acceptance of the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued new guidelines clarifying that undocumented youth  - or DREAMers - who qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) are “lawfully present” in the country. The announcement clarified the debate over whether DREAMers can access driver’s licenses under state laws that require legal presence. In addition to driver’s licenses, however, another clarification is warranted: updating Department of Defense policy to allow undocumented youth with Deferred Action to serve in the armed services. Read more...

In the continuing controversy over the treatment of torture in Zero Dark Thirty, a crucial scene has been overlooked – one that makes the film’s point of view clear, even if it’s less attention-grabbing than images of waterboarding. The scene comes late in the movie, after the CIA has surmised that Osama bin Laden is possibly hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan. One government official wonders aloud whether a Guantánamo detainee might be able to confirm that location, to which a CIA operative replies, “Who the hell am I supposed to ask, some guy in Gitmo who’s all lawyered up?” He explains that any lawyer will simply tip off al-Qaeda.

As a member of Congress, I took an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. I did not swear to uphold only the sections I liked. The Bill of Rights contain civil liberties so fundamentally important that no matter how unpopular at times, these rights are guaranteed and no president, no Congress and no person can deprive them from us. The Second Amendment, hated by some, is a fundamental right as well. I, and millions of others, see the wisdom of the Second Amendment even as many do not. But whether you see its wisdom, all public officials were sworn to uphold it.

And this is where I part ways with the president. On Wednesday, President Obama sought to undermine constitutional guarantees when he unveiled 23 measures, in a combination of executive orders and proposed new legislation, to restrict gun ownership.

Over the past few months, bipartisan meetings of Congressional legislators have been taking place behind closed doors on immigration. This is highly unusual when compared to other hot-button issues like taxes and gun control, which are both currently high-profile debates. Despite the productive talks and alliances, Democrats and Republicans are still calling on President Obama to take leadership on immigration. The president certainly has a role but Congress legislates, however; not the president.

The President has a mixed record on immigration reform that has taken far longer than he initially said it would. This situations requires Congress to take action on immigration legislation without the president to modernize the country’s immigration system.  

The movie “Lincoln” is the riveting drama of the president’s securing the crucial votes needed from the opposition party to pass the thirteenth amendment to the constitution that outlawed slavery. Stunningly, Lincoln rounded up impossible-to-get votes from die-hard opponents of freedom for African Americans, and he did so in 18 days.  
 


Contrast that with the record of the 112th Congress, which broke all previous records of low numbers of bills enacted. Among the many initiatives left undone was passing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. This legislation should have reauthorized the 2001 Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which expired in October 2011.

One hundred and fifty years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, many people cringe at the thought that owning slaves was once commonplace in America. If asked, most would acknowledge that forced labor, human trafficking and other forms of modern-day slavery still exist – but not here, not in our country, our communities, our neighborhoods.