Immigration & Border Security...Do The Candidates Really Care?

By: Nitza Soledad Pérez

5/01/08-McCain seems to have amnesia...he doesn´t remember  the immigration reform bill that he pushed so hard for in Congress in May of 2007. I guess age really contributes to memory loss!!   These days he only talks about border security , but perhaps the simultaneous rallies that will take place around the nation in states like California, New York, Miami and the district of Columbia  will refresh his memory...

 

Democrats have not talked about it that much lately  either.  Maybe that's because the states where primaries are next , Indiana and North Carolina, do not have a  large  Hispanic  population.  So why  get into the mess of  how to solve the problem  of 12 million undocumented people in the country ?   A messy problem it is - with many solutions, none of them easy or campaign savvy.  Does the government deport them, seize their property (like some Republicans suggest) make them wait, ask them to be proficient in English before they can apply for temporary visas ... you get the picture.  

 

Today the nation celebrates A Day of Action for Immigrant Rights. In Washington, dozens of local immigrant rights and social justice organizations will start their day picketing at the RNC and DNC committees and then these organizations will be holding a  rally downtown.

 

Activists predict more than 200 events from Miami to California, but is it worth it? Is the issue still alive. Does it still matter? Many immigrants are scared of coming out and defending their rights, most in fear of deportation…but some hope to revive the issue right on election time, hoping that the new President,  will actually make immigration reform a top priority. The question is:    will that person be courageous enough to assume the challenge???

 Nitza Soledad Pérez is the Washington DC Correspondent for TeleSUR TV, a 24 hrs Spanish TV News Network that broadcasts to Latin America and the Caribbean. Nitza has a master´s degree in International Relations from American University in Washington and is a former ABC News employee.

 

 

 

 

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