Check out the latest President’s Perspective “Federal Failure on Immigration” from RSLC President Chris Jankowski.
In multiple states, state leaders are courageously stepping in to address illegal immigration, one of the federal government’s biggest policy failures since, well, since the federal government assumed control of immigration on April 18, 1890. It is well understood that no matter how carefully crafted one’s words are on this issue, there will be those from both the right and the left who take exception. Nonetheless, when it comes to the federal government’s role, the recent actions of the Obama Administration – as reported by the Washington Post require a response on behalf of the Republican state legislators and attorneys general who are actually facing the problem daily and working to address it in their states.
After nearly three years of refusing to take action and doing nothing to push a comprehensive immigration reform bill, the Obama Administration has finally decided to act. And what is the Administration’s plan? The plan boils down to blocking state efforts to address immigration that are born solely, and not ironically, from the Obama Administration’s failure.
While President Obama may be cynically trying to lift the hopes of Hispanic voters with soaring rhetoric of immigration reform, those hopes have been dashed by the reality of a near full-term passing without any kind of real push for reform. Hispanic voters know what a real effort to reform immigration looks like because President Bush showed them in a concerted effort from 2006-2007. Whether one agrees with the former President’s approach, there is no denying he put some “skin in the game” by sending cabinet secretaries to the Hill and launching a full and sustained campaign that combined public events with private working groups to try and forge a consensus.
