(Editors Note: This article was originally posted on Thursday March 11th…it was edited with additional information when we confirmed the exchange wherein the President refused to promise action on comprehensive immigration reform)
( Correction) An earlier version of this post misidentified the person that debated the President on deportation policy. The correct name is Angela Salas. We regret the error.)
Three meetings took place at the White House on Thursday March 11th to discuss immigration reform. The mega march scheduled for the 21st and the increasingly critical tone from the immigrant community was unquestionably the driving force for the sudden interest by the White House.
The first meeting was with Labor leaders exclusively. They had met earlier with Senator’s Schumer and Graham and had reviewed the outline the two would present to the President in their meeting with him later that day. The outline is in the form of a Opinion piece for the New York Times that the pair are arranging to have published prior to the march on the 21st. The labor leaders expressed support for the outline. The labor leaders and the President were in agreement that both sides had to do more to get the business community vocally in support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
The next meeting was with Washington based advocates, community based advocates, labor leaders and faith leaders. Published accounts are
that there were 14 individuals meeting with the President.
The first request by the group was for the President to publicly endorse the principles of Comprehensive immigration Reform and that he use the power of the Presidency to convince wavering Senators to support reform. There was a sense of urgency in the request. It had to be done before the march on the 21st. The group expressed that the “grassroots was pushing back”, they were getting angry, critical and demanding.
The suggestion by the group that the President could take administrative measures to “end the hurt” and make enforcement procedures less aggressive got a terse response form the President. More than one participant describes the President as calmly but firmly asking “what do you suggest, that I end deportations?” At this point Angelica Salas with CHIRLA explained directly to the President that the enforcement programs as they were being applied were indiscriminate and not focused on those the “criminal aliens” that he and his Secretary of Homeland Security had described as the targets. The President questioned Ms. Salas making it clear that it was his understanding that the increase in deportations were attributable to voluntary departures or criminal alien deportation. Ms. Salas witnesses tell us, did not relent and proceeded to eloquently and persuasively refute each of the points raised by the President.
Though the President did not concede that Ms. Kelley was correct he did say that a meeting would be scheduled with Secretary Napolitano to clarify the matter.
The moral and political dimensions of the march on Washington were also discussed. The President was apparently willing to publicly express support for the marchers before the 21st. But the President felt that much of the criticism that was now being expressed by the grassroots against his Administration was “unfair.” The participants delicately (and correctly) explained that the criticism and the “pushback” was coming from the grassroots and not from the carefully selected group before him.
The meeting also focused on the difficulty of getting the votes for a bill and the need to recruit Republicans as supporters.
The meeting ended with a shocking exchange. The President refused to commit to Comprehensive Immigratin Reform this year. The President refusal to honor his promise should have ended all discussion and frankly all hope for this year. The Hill http://ow.ly/1iekA reports in an article ominously entitled “”Obama Wont Promise Immigration Reform” that Ali Noorani, President of National Immigration Forum and key organizer of the march on the 21st released a statement after the meeting saying “The president indicated that his administration is committed to driving a bill forward in the spring of 2010. Based on our conversation, we are optimistic and expecting aggressive and urgent action from the White House on comprehensive immigration reform before March 21.” There’s something wrong with this guy. Lying to thousands of angry demonstrators is not particularly intelligent or honest. On Friday Robert Gibbs the President’s spokesperson confirmed in artful fashion that it was dead, The Hill reports “that while immigration and a new comprehensive energy bill are important to Obama, they are not the president’s focus in this election year.” The President’s just not that into immigrants this year…that’s all.
The last meeting of the day was with Senator’s Graham and Schumer. The usual blather was sent out in press releases by each of the parties. There was one major exception to the empty puff that is characteristic of White House after-meeting press releases. Senator Graham laid down this threat: “I expressed, in no uncertain terms, my belief that immigration reform could come to a halt for the year if health care reconciliation goes forward. For more than a year, health care has sucked most of the energy out of the room. Using reconciliation to push health care through will make it much harder for Congress to come together on a topic as important as immigration.”
Pass health care through reconciliation and this ball game is over. As the saying goes “mas claro no canta un gallo”.
One tough killer day for comprehensive immigration reform. The march on the 21st is the wake. Time to reassess…and do it honestly.
http://ow.ly/1ikuC
[Posted by: Verenice Andrade]
