Hey, at least we truly know where New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (a Democrat, by the way) stands on the whole issue of immigration reform: just kick the problem down the can and celebrate the fact that President Obama is indeed the “Deporter-in-Chief.”
Here is what Schumer had to say this morning on “Meet the Press” in response to the House Speaker John Boehner’s comments that a comprehensive immigration bill won’t happen in 2014 because Republicans don’t trust the President. Watch:
So this is what Schumer is suggesting: let’s pass the bill now and don’t really follow it until 2017, so in the meantime, the “broken” immigration system that the Democrats continue to push will stay “broken” for another three years and we can still have record deportations and separation of families going on at a record clip. And yes, Obama earns kudos for record deportations.
Wow, how’s that historic 2012 Latino vote for President Obama and the Democrats really working out on the immigration issue? But hey, this is Schumer talking, the same Schumer who likes to call the undocumented the “illegals” on national television and no one says anything, because why upset those so-called immigration “allies.” And the same Schumer who is a border security hawk.
This is very simple: the Democrats think that the U.S. Latino vote is a lock because they aren’t feeling the pressure, and the Republicans don’t care about immigration reform. Meanwhile, deportations continue to occur every day at a record pace, and the community gets fooled.
In the end, Democrats have no backbone, national Latino organizations that side with Democrats have no backbone and it is the true immigrant rights voices out there that are trying to change the dialogue and focus. A note to the Democrats: stop leading with fear of Republicans and stop playing the U.S. Latino community. Don’t assume that we will side with you because the other team doesn’t get it. Democrats need to lead and be bold right now. Call the GOP’s bluff, because that is what it is, a bluff.
This is ALL THE MORE REASON for the real voices of the undocumented to be heard NOW more than ever.
It reminds us of this song by The Strokes. It’s called “Taken for a Fool.”