National Latino Groups Call Bill 'Immigrant Apartheid'

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Six national Latino organizations denounced the current immigration-reform bill in a public statement yesterday, with some calling it "immigrant apartheid." The groups in opposition are the Hispanic Federation, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, and the William C. Velasquez Institute.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation's largest Latino civil-rights group, was not part of the coalition of six groups.

"If enacted, the current Senate proposal would codify a system of immigrant apartheid as United States policy, which is despicable and not supported by the Latino community," said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the William C. Velasquez Institute Antonio Gonzalez.

What do they suggest in its place? They would prefer a series of smaller immigration-reform bills, each of limited scope, and they are concerned that the bill emphasizes skills over family ties. "We are referring to bills such as AgJobs, the DREAM Act and other similar initiatives that would result in tangible changes for immigrant communities in our country," stated a letter sent by the groups to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Fear that the bill will resurface in the upcoming weeks is partly what led to such a unified movement by these Latino organizations.

These groups are not alone. Labor groups including the AFL-CIO announced yesterday that they also want the bill scrapped. "This takes a problem we have and, instead of solving it, makes it worse," stated Richard L. Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO.

The immigration-reform bill was stalled in the Senate last week because of differences along party lines over clauses such as the guest-worker program. The proposal has been charged by Republicans as being too lenient and by Democrats as being unfair and biased. The six national Latino organizations agree with Democrats.

(See also: Immigration Reform Stalled, Possibly Permanently and How Would Your Presidential Candidate Vote on Immigration?)

"Congress has a legislative responsibility to produce immigration reform that is both humane and pragmatic. Unfortunately, as it stands, this bill falls short of what our immigrant community and nation needs and expects," said Lillian Rodriguez Lopez, president of the Hispanic Federation.

Letters were also sent to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Barbara Boxer. The letters formally emphasized the sentiments of the U.S. Latino community, which call for reform but not in the form of the current bill. "The sacrifices that in its current form Senate Bill 1639 (formerly S.1348) demands immigrant communities or today, as well as of the future, far out-weigh the supposed benefits," stated the letter to Reid.

This opposition is unexpected as many in the Latino community have been pushing for reform. Last week, immigrants across the nation came together in marches, rallies and protests in response to the Senate stall.

(See also: Immigrants Push Reform Bill Despite Senate Stall [scroll down for story])

"There was a lot of frustration that politics got in the way of sound, necessary public policy," stated Jerry Gonzalez last week. Gonzalez is from the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, a statewide organization whose 4,000 members are calling on their senators seeking immediate reform. "The time is now. They need to act. They have to."

But now, the question being posed by these Latino organizations is "How?" The six national Latino organizations feel that rushing through the process just for the sake of moving forward will not come close to solving America's long-standing immigration problems.

"The so-called bipartisan Grand Bargain immigration reform proposal is neither grand nor a bargain for the millions of immigrants that will have to pay the price for Congressional expediency," said Rosa Rosales, president of LULAC.

What was the response? Neither Reid nor Pelosi nor Boxer has released a statement.

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