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Immigration Debate Kills Chavez Resolution in Senate
March 30, 2007 2:26 PM
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Senators on the two sides of the immigration debate have not yet decided when next to consider calls by Democrats and the President for a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but the issue is simmering beneath the surface of other debates on Capitol Hill.
Saturday will be the 80th birthday of Cesar Chavez, but the US Senate won't, as Democrats had planned, be commemorating it with a resolution lauding the late civil rights leader's achievements.
On Thursday, Democrats in the Senate introduced a resolution to honor Chavez for being a civil rights and labor leader. But Republicans objected to the language. They wanted add a sentence pointing out that Chavez had spoken out against illegal immigration.
This is true to a point, though in fact, many of Chavez' descendants are now activists for immigration reform.
Anti-illegal immigration activists have long pointed out that Chavez demonstrated against the importation by farmers of undocumented workers. These undocumented workers were used as scabs when the members of his union were striking and undercut Chavez' attempts to hold out for better wages and treatment.
"Obviously Cesar Chavez was against that tactic, but it's a stretch to say he was against undocumented workers," said a Federico de Jesus, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry, who released a statement today in Spanish, "Senate GOP to Latinos: 'No se puede.'"
This is a play on the famous farm worker rallying cry "Si se puede" or "Yes you can".
It is unclear which Republican objected to the resolution, but Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was the one who blocked the resolution on the Senate floor Thursday night on behalf of his party.
A spokesman for McConnell pointed out the Democratic resolution was introduced at 3pm, hours after most Senators had left -- Thursday was their final day working before taking a week-long break for Easter.
When Reid asked just after 6pm for consent to pass the resolution without a vote, said McConnell's spokesman said there was no time to find language that was amenable to both Republicans and Democrats.
March 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (2)
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Congress should write a bill to do one thing and one thing only on immigration:
Fix the leaky border.
Whatever else they decide or not decide to do on immigration is neither here nor there: it is an independent subject for subsequent bills.
Begin: Fix the leaky border bill
Debate: How to do that
End: vote on that
Send Bill to Bush
George sign bill
Americans cheer
Tommy, wake up, it's time to go to work.
Oh, sorry dear, I had a dream that the government got logical and fixed a big problem.
Posted by: Robert | May 30, 2007 11:24:10 AM
America in a Bi-Lingual Cross Road
Reference: BI-Lingual Language
Sir/Madam:
There is no point dieing in silent when you are in a free and Gods own country. This uncomfortable wind about the Spanish immigrant and Spanish language is becoming a problematic gesture. There are other immigrants, more especially the African immigrant whom population remain quite with non advocating voice like our Spanish counterpart.
America is an English speaking country just as Spain, France, German and all the rest of the country has there own language. It is your choice to migrate to any of these countries for what ever your reasons are. It is very disappointing to see the politicians playing politics with a simple and hard fact as this. America is not and has never been a bi-lingual country, even during the original native (Indians) era. These vicious bi-lingual winds championed by politicians will eventually be discriminatory tools to disenfranchise other immigrants from other areas. Most jobs or opportunities now required mandatory bi-lingual candidates. I strongly without mixing words believe that to be very discriminatory. Don’t tell me Spanish immigrant provides this country with cheap labor force needed to move the economy forward. I can assure you that if African immigrant were given one tenth of the opportunities given to Spanish immigrants we may achieve a glorious height than we’ve done so far. To sight example, look at the history of America, build and prospered on the back of black.
America is a melting ground; no ethnic group must be allowed to take more advantage and privilege than others. We have immigrants from Africa, China, Japan, Europe, India and all others, should we be advocating to having our language as the dominating language. If the Spanish immigrant so desire to speak Spanish, they should migrate to Spain or any other Spanish speaking countries, there are so many of them. English is the first requirement for any citizen or immigrant to this country. The center of unity in America is the “English Language”. Politicians should desist in starting another discriminating era.
We have not even discussed or debate how most of the Spanish immigrants got here.
Keeping quite or staying silent is no more an option. As a migrant American, I’m willing to defend this right and privilege anywhere and any time.
Posted by: Jones Harbor | Oct 3, 2007 11:08:19 AM
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