With a little less than two weeks left before this year's historic election, an issue that seems to have been swept aside to make room for others is that of immigration. Even when it was mentioned, we heard very little about the issue unless it pertained to Mexico or Latino Americans and any immigrants who are on American soil in ways that the U.S. Government doesn't approve of. Debates went on about amnesty periods, a faster application process, benefits for persons already here, securing borders to deter crossing illegally, etc. But, what does that mean for Pilipinos that want to come to the United States?
In a nutshell, it means things may not get any easier under either candidate. CNN’s website show that both Senators McCain and Obama agree with the proposed “Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. [Both Senators] voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.”
What “path to citizenship” do the candidates propose? Senator Obama proposes that illegal immigrants “who are in good standing pay a fine, learn English, not violate the law, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.” Senator McCain would require undocumented individuals to “enroll in a program to resolve their status, and background checks will be used to identify criminal aliens for prosecution and deportation . . . [which will be a] system that is fair, humane, and realistic.” You may or may not be persuaded by Robert Reeves of Philippine News when he characterizes one policy focusing on “National Security” while the other as an issue for the “American Community”.
But what about those who choose to immigrate legally? Senator McCain seems to want to clear the backlog of green card requests for individuals to enter the country, and Senator Obama seems to propose speeding up the immigration process, making it reasonable and fair.
However, as Kim Geiger of MSNBC wrote in her article quoting Demetrios Papademetriou, head of the Migration Policy Institute, “Once you get past the initial rhetorical seeming difference, then there aren’t significant differences between the two candidates . . . both of them would agree that the whole system needs reform.” But don’t you also “speed up the process” by “clearing the backlog”?
Do both candidates really agree or disagree on the immigration issue? It’s hard to tell. Analyzing and evaluating the candidate’s choice of words may be crucial. With immigration reform a topic that seems to have all but disappeared, picking your candidate on their stance on immigration may be a little hard. Regardless of your choice, vote for who you believe would be able to implement their immigration policy that best suits your needs.
Don’t forget to vote Tuesday, November 4, 2008!
Web sites referenced:
* http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.immigration.html
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7131464.stm
* http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25645405/
* http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/16/immigrants-hear-mixed-messages-but-little-else/
* http://www.philippinenews.com/article.php?id=3437
* http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/ImmigrationFactSheet.pdf
* http://www.johnmccain.com/downloads/issues/immigration.pdf
