Gov. John Hickenlooper 12 Million Points Short

 

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced his plan for comprehensive immigration reform recently.  Unfortunately, his 4 point plan is 12 million points short of a solution for undocumented immigrants.

Hickenlooper’s plan caught the immigrant community by surprise.  The newly elected Democratic governor relied on the immigrant community and their supporters to win election.  However, when Hickenlooper revealed his plan on the Mike Rosen radio show, he did not mention a solution for the 12 million undocumented workers in the US. 
The Governor’s plan relies on four key points:
Secure the border;  an ID system “that works”; Implement a guest worker system; place consequences for businesses that break the law by hiring undocumented workers.

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In 2010, Senator Luis Gutierrez (D-Il) outlined a three point plan which is designed to provide real solutions to the complicated problem of immigration reform.  First, Sen. Gutierrez understood the basic problem of border security.  His legislation which he titled CIR ASAP, Comprehensive Immigration Reform As Soon As Possible, is mostly a border security bill.  It adds a league of new border agents and beefs up the nation’s sea ports, one of the greatest weaknesses in our current system.


The Colorado Capitol, hotbed for immigration debate in 2010 and 2011!


Second, Gutierrez proposed a guest worker program to provide for the labor needs of the aging baby boomers.  It is expected the demands for everything from lawn care to health care will increase as boomers depend upon the next generation during their golden years.  The guest worker program would allow people to walk across the border instead of risk their lives crossing the desert.  It would also provide a means for them to return home, which most of them want to do.

Third, CIR provides for a solution for the 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country and their families.  Considering each undocumented immigrant likely has an average of four documented and US citizen family members, the law would affect 40 million people directly.  CIR integrates long term undocumented workers into society to discourage the underground economy and to benefit their citizen family members.  The process would take years and add 3 billion to the treasury.

Despite Hickenlooper adding a fourth point, “identification that works”, his plan falls short of practical solutions.  With 30,000 detention beds available nationally, and 12 million undocumented workers subject to being detained, it neither provides a way to remove the workers nor allows them to remain with their families in peace. 


Fighting for the rights of those who suffer under injustice


Rather, the Hickenlooper plan is a continued demonstration of the ignorance of the fear and repression undocumented workers live under in the US.  At any given moment, they are subject to being ripped from their jobs, businesses and families.  Even a trip to church or the grocery store is a risk.  There is a lack of understanding about the contributions undocumented workers make to the economy, a lesson many people in Arizona learned when 200,000 undocumented immigrants fled that state in fear of repressive anti-immigrant laws.  The departure devastated the tax base and plunged the state into record multi-billion dollar deficits.

Hickenlooper is not the first Democratic Colorado governor to disappoint the immigrant community.  His predecessor, Gov. Bill Ritter, signed the secure communities law into effect and selected Colorado’s largest counties including Denver to be the first to sign onto the law.  Secure Communities marries Immigration and Customs Enforcement computer data bases with local law enforcement computer systems.  The link turns every police officer into a potential immigration agent and makes communication between immigrants and police difficult.  Hence reporting crimes like rape and sexual molestation is risky for immigrants.

Unless Hickenlooper changes his stance, Colorado will remain one of the least friendly places for undocumented workers to reside.  The state’s reputation as anti-immigrant is a deterrent to legal immigrants including farm workers and to foreign investors who find the violation of human rights repugnant. 

BuzzNet Tags: immigration reform,cir asap,gov. john hickenlooper,circ,julien ross,colorado immgrants rights coalition,ritter,secure communities,four point plan,sb 1070

Tim Paynter Selected Host Un Dia Sin Fronteras

By Jore S. Paz

Local talk show host, writer and human right’s activist Tim Paynter was selected to host a new radio show on 1150 am Radio today called Un Dia Sin Fronteras.  The title translates to “One day without borders”.  Paynter said he was ecstatic about the chance to be of service to the Latino community. 

“My dream” Paynter said in an exclusive interview, “is for all people to live under the skies of America as free people.  This will give me a chance to bring the message of justice and immigration reform to the Spanish speaking community.”

The program premiers on Monday, April 16th  at 12:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on 1150 AM radio in the Metro Denver area.  For those who live outside of the area, the program is on the internet at 1150 onda KNRV.  The voice line is 303.337.1150.

Paynter is a Colorado attorney who has also been involved in Arizona politics.  He was arrested along with the “Phoenix 100”, referring to 100 people who were arrested on July 29th and 30th, 2010 while protesting Arizona SB 1070, one of the toughest anti-immigrant laws passed to that date.  After the prosecution was unable to obtain guilty verdicts in test trials against some of the protesters, the charges were dismissed against nearly all of the Phoenix 100, including Paynter. 

District court judge Susan Bolton struck down portions of SB 1070.  Other sections of the law remain in extended litigation costing the state of Arizona millions of dollars in legal fees.  An estimated 200,000 immigrants and their US citizen family members fled Arizona devastating the state tax base and leaving the Grand Canyon State with billions of dollars in deficits.

Un Dia Sin Fronteras will work towards unifying the immigrant community as well as informing Latinos about current successes and challenges. 

“Why not grant driver’s licenses to undocumented workers so the police can identify an immigrant in a traffic stop just like you and me?” Paynter asked.  “That will give undocumented workers an easier path to purchasing automobile insurance, which is a benefit to every driver on the road.” Paynter continued.

“Nearly half of the copy-cat anti-immigrant laws proposed in other states after SB 1070 were defeated including one in Colorado, SB 11-54.” Paynter said.  “Yet we have some difficult times ahead of us.  Florida, for example, is working on a horrible law.  The Dream Act, which would allow the youth of undocumented immigrants the chance to go to college, was defeated during the lame duck session in 2010.  Meanwhile, Republicans passed a law granting those earning a million dollars in net income another million dollars in tax savings.” Paynter noted.

Paynter is active in local efforts to stop the deportation of Valente and Manuel Valenzuela, two brothers who fought in Viet Nam.

“It is outrageous these two brave men who put their lives on the line for our country are facing deportation.  This tells me our country lacks gratitude for the sacrifices of our veterans.”  Paynter also is advocating for the passage of a local initiative the Higher Education Access Initiative, or HEAA, to grant in-state tuition to undocumented youth who have lived in Colorado for a lengthy period of time.

“In Colorado”, Paynter continued, “Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper did not mention a path to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants in his four point solution to the immigration problem.  Immigrants were big supporters, yet he has failed to speak to a rational solution.  Yes, indeed, we have a lot of work to do!”