News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Dec. 26, 2014: It’s that time of year when people make assessments on their accomplishments over the past year and like Santa, focus on the positive and negatives as well as those who have been ‘naughty or nice’ in the course of 365 days.
So even though there are still a few days to go before 2014 wraps up, here are my picks for the top nice and naughty persons who have worked for and against immigration reform this year.
My Nice List
1: President Barack Obama: There is no denying that despite a lot of pressure and of course delay on his part, President Obama finally helped make this holiday a lot brighter for many undocumented immigrants and dreamers. Millions will benefit under the President’s executive order and even though his order could have been more expansive, he still ends the year by making it to the top of my nice list.
2: Congressman Luis Vicente Gutiérrez: There is no denying the role that Congressman Guiterrez, (D-IL 4th District), played in getting the undocumented some form of immigration relief this year. This is a man who should run for President or at least be a contender for the vice presidential candidate post in 2016. Congressman Gutiérrez stayed the course, kept the hope alive and brought the fight. He did not shy away from this fight for one second, even getting arrested outside the White House for what he believed in and he certainly earned this number two spot.
3: Arturo Carmona: For those who may not know of Arturo Carmona, he is the executive director of Presente.org, the group that took the fight for immigration relief and reform to the grassroots, engaging millions daily through email and petition campaigns, rallies and sit-ins. Carmona and Presente.org were unafraid to speak up and speak out and to continue the fight on behalf of the downtrodden. Thank you Arturo and Presente.
4: The Catholic Church: The Catholic Church for years has led the battle for immigration reform and under its new spiritual leader, Pope Francis, this continued in 2014 with several church leaders fasting and rallying on behalf of the undocumented. The Church continued to stay true to its belief that good government has two duties: “to welcome the foreigner out of charity and respect for the human person.” Thank you for taking a stand for what is right.
5: The thousands of undocumented immigrants and advocates, who rallied, challenged and sat in: Who can forget the thousands who were willing to get arrested in their bid to fight for an end to the breaking up of families and to urge executive action? Who can forget the young kids and ‘Dreamers’ who braved it all to challenge even congressional leaders, including Speaker John Boehner during his breakfast? These are the really heroes whose courage and spirit soared in 2014. Thank you all for taking the fight to the White House and reminding the President of his promises.
My Naughty List
There are a lot more people, especially in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives’ who can make this list but at the end of the day the blame must fall on one man.
1: Speaker John Boehner: John Boehner had the opportunity to make history this year and pass immigration reform after the bill was handed to him on a platter by the Senate. Instead, Boehner proved just how bone headed he is by refusing to even allow the bill to come to the House floor for a vote. No wonder he makes the top of the ‘naughty’ list.
2: Senator Ted Cruz: Here is a Canadian-born man who was born to a Cuban father and is an immigrant himself but still insists on a hard line approach on immigration reform. To call Cruz moronic is probably too mild as his own controversial comments on immigrants and even Dreamers have made even his own Party shudder. Little wonder he makes number two on this list. Can’t wait until this nut job slithers off back under the Texas rock he belongs. We can rest assured Calgary won’t take him back.
3: Senator Marco Rubio: Here is a man with immigrant roots as well, another Cuban American, who like Mitt Romney flip flops on immigration reform. First he is for it, then he is against, simply because he can’t led Cruz out do him in the controversial department. So instead of sticking with reason and facts, he bolts into the Tea Party camp and drinks their Kool Aid to stay in their good graces come 2016. Keep it up Rubio. Here’s to you making the naughty list and also the list of those who failed miserably in their bid to become President of the United States.
4: Sherriff Joe Arpaio: Here is a guy who felt he was above the federal law. In fact, he was running ‘Arpaio’ law in Arizona, crackdown on people living in the country without working papers and racially profiling Latinos in traffic stops. And even though he just announced he will be disbanding his controversial squad that engaged in the discrimination and intimidation, he still makes this naughty list as he represents many of the mad men who remain focused on hate in their need to rid the country of brown and black immigrants.
5: Judge Arthur J. Schwab: Here is a Federal District Court Judge in Western Pennsylvania who should stick to the laws of the country but instead, like Arpaio, felt the need to use his position as a pulpit to let his personal feelings towards immigration and immigrants be known. The case before Schwab, according to Forbes News’ Rick Ungar, involved a Honduran man who had been previously deported from the US after committing a crime. He then illegally re-entered the United States, was caught and brought in front of Judge Schwab. There he pled guilty to the charge of illegally entering the USA.
Now when a defendant pleads guilty, and that plea is accepted by the judge, there is absolutely no reason for a judge to issue any opinion. However, Judge Schwab, decided that he could issue his opinion on the immigration Executive Order because of his concern that the defendant before him, despite having been determined guilty of illegal entry, could, somehow, be permitted to stay in the United States as a result of this order. As such, he declared that the Obama immigration executive order was unconstitutional. Really? Who asked you? Little wonder Schwab makes this list. We can all be thankful this Christmas, his opinion has no bearing on the President’s order.
Happy Holidays everyone!
The writer is CMO of Hard Beat Communications, which owns the brands News Americas Now, CaribPR Wire and Invest Caribbean Now.
