On May 1st, pro-immigration organizations such as the AFL-CIO, Casa de Maryland, and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) came together and marched in front of the White House to put pressure on the government to pass immigration reform this year.
In addition to the march outside the White House, a series of political meetings were organized in over 100 cities with the same topic and emphasis in mind.
There is no doubt that the pressure on politicians in Washington to act on immigration must continue and to continue making sure that the various pro-immigration groups put their energies in the right place.
President Obama has already stated, day after day, that he supports immigration reform. Even as we approach the July 4th Congressional recess, the possibility that the president will utilize his executive power to put a temporary stop on deportations, something that occurs daily in this country, increases.
Also, the U.S. Senate has already approved an immigration bill and Democrats in the House of Representatives have already set their own bill on the table.
Although President Obama is willing to consider using his executive power to ease deportations and potentially put a stop on the separation of families, this would be only be a temporary cure to the problem we are facing.
The truth is that if a temporary stop on the deportations occurs, we must still continue to put the pressure on Republicans regarding immigration reform.
A temporary stop on deportations is no excuse for Republicans to not act on immigration. And although John Boehner mocks his own colleagues for refusing to make decisions in a difficult situation, the truth is that the Speaker of the House of Representatives has the ability, if he truly wanted, to bring immigration reform to a vote tomorrow.
The Speaker of the House should put the American people before his politics, but instead, apparently John Boehner is terrified of the extremists within his own party. And with the midterm elections coming in November, it seems like the Republican leader is afraid of losing his seat as Speaker of the House.
Latinos understand better than anyone that the fight for immigration reform should have nothing to do with politics.
On the contrary, immigration reform is for our economy, the middle class, and the millions of immigrants who want to fully contribute to the development of our country.
The message of our community to the Republican leader is simple: Put the American people before your political games. No more excuses, act on immigration reform.
And whether Republicans like it or not, the Latino community will remember who acted with the best interests of our community in mind when they cast their vote in November.
Until now, that does not describe any Republican in the House of Representatives.
This piece originally appeared in Spanish in the Washington Hispanic
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