Where have
all the leaders gone? Gone to tangents,
every one. When will they ever
learn? When will they ever learn?
It seems to
me that we are experiencing a tremendous lack of depth in dealing with issues
like comprehensive immigration policy and solving problems like illegal
crossings on our southern border. For a
moment, recall the difference:
An issue is a controversial topic
that inspires and perhaps requires research, debate and possible judgment; maybe some resolution. EXAMPLE: “The Electoral College is an institution that should be abolished.”
A problem is more than a controversial
statement; it revolves around an existing reality causing pain, harm, hardship, disturbance or distress that demands or requires some sort of resolution or correction. Choosing to cross our borders illegally certainly is creating problems that need to be resolved, but the solutions need to be found in the context of a comprehensive Naturalization plan and in accord with democratic and humane values.
It occurs to
me we are lacking certain items needed as guides for approaching issues and
problems: items like focus, research and clarity, plus discovery of as many problematic aspects of an issue as possible. However,
what we may be missing the most is leadership that periodically re-focuses our
attention, reminding us about the central truth of issues and problems, and the
core values we should bring to them.
In my opinion, Martin Luther King, Jr.,
was just such a leader. Today, we rightly celebrate his contributions to clarifying the issues that
divide us along racial lines, and addressing by direct non-violent confrontation
the problems arising from that division. More recently, Barack Obama, Bernie
Sanders and Hillary Clinton were able to fulfill that role of reminding us of core issues and core
values that have continually informed and guided our deliberations and actions
as a democratic society. Currently, we may begin to look at leaders like Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ('AOC') for these qualities.
Today, leaders on the Far Right are different. Chaos, bullying and violence seem to have taken over. Issues are generally contrived to fit a
pre-conceived extremist agenda and ideology.
Problems are defined to fit those contrived issues and then exploited to establish fear, anxiety and blind allegiance among a loyal base of followers. Core values of long-standing – like truth, rule
of law and equal justice – are denigrated or abandoned. Take the controversial issue of immigration policy as an example.
What would
you say is the core of this issue? In terms of most of our nation's pressing issues, we should probably start by looking to the Constitution to
focus our attention on what the Congress (and other branches of government) are
called to do.
Article I, Section 8 has a
very simple answer: the Congress has the
power (and therefore the responsibility) “to establish a uniform Rule of
Naturalization,” and indeed, has the power to “ make all laws which shall be
necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers and all
other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United
States…”
There are some
other clues to this issue when we look to other Articles and Sections,
particularly in relation to qualifications for federal offices (emphases are mine):
:
Article II,
Section 1 indicates that no person except a natural born citizen, or a Citizen
of the United States, at the time of the adoption of the constitution, shall be
eligible to the Office of President.”
Further, it is noted that eligible candidates must have “been fourteen
years a resident of the United States.”
Article I,
Section 2 says no person “shall be a Representative who shall not have attained
to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a Citizen of the United
States….”
Article 1, Section 3
says: No person shall be a Senator who
shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a
Citizen of the United States…”
Section 9 of this same Article allowed states
to decide to import slaves (although that word is not used) without interference
by Congress until 1808; a tax on such imports was allowed.
the 14th Amendment (July 9, 1868) guaranteed
“due process” to any citizen denied the rights and immunities of citizens. Furthermore, the 1st section of this
amendment says “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or
property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
At a minimum,
then, it would appear that the Constitution calls for:
1) a uniform rule or policy governing
the process of Naturalization, which would have to mean “becoming a citizen”
since other sections use citizenship in the context of “acquiring” that status
in order to vote or to run for office
2) the use of the word “naturalization”
rather than ‘immigration’ or ‘migration’ implies a comprehensive rule or
policy/procedure of becoming a citizen, since naturalization is spoken of
elsewhere as being necessary to run for office after having been a citizen for a
certain length of time.
3) it is of major importance to
emphasize that our Constitution guarantees the right of “due process,” not just
to citizens but to any person
within this nation’s jurisdiction; thus, it would appear that any person with
their feet planted on our soil – whether illegal entrant or not – is entitled
to that process: i.e. the right to be heard and to receive fair treatment
through the normal judicial system
4) a ‘uniform Naturalization Rule’ or
Policy would therefore fall short if it did not address a variety of subjects
that all point the way to citizenship.
At this
point, it might behoove us to take a “deeper dive” into the policies and
procedures of other countries to determine their various approaches to this
‘path to citizenship.’ I do not choose
to take on that chore at the moment.
However, as an example of what needs to happen, I take this example from
our neighbors to the north: Canada.
“There are
two main paths to citizenship in Canada. One way is to obtain a permanent
residence visa. The other way is to come to Canada on a temporary work permit.
"What does it mean to be a Canadian Permanent Resident? Once you are issued a Canada Immigration Visa for permanent residency, you have most of the same rights and obligations as Canadian citizens. As the name suggests, you may hold this status indefinitely, so long as you accumulate 2 years of residency days in each 5-year period. After 3 years of Canadian residency, you may apply for Canadian citizenship. Canada recognizes dual citizenship, so you do not have to give up your current passport.
"What does it mean to be a Canadian Permanent Resident? Once you are issued a Canada Immigration Visa for permanent residency, you have most of the same rights and obligations as Canadian citizens. As the name suggests, you may hold this status indefinitely, so long as you accumulate 2 years of residency days in each 5-year period. After 3 years of Canadian residency, you may apply for Canadian citizenship. Canada recognizes dual citizenship, so you do not have to give up your current passport.
There are 6
main categories of Canadian Immigration. The categories are Federal Skilled
Worker, Quebec Skilled Worker, Provincial Nominee Program, Family
Sponsorship, Business Immigrant and Canadian Experience Class.
Each category caters to a slightly different group of immigrants, and comes
with its own set of requirements. You can also come to Canada under the Asylum
category or the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.” (read more at https://www.monster.ca/career-advice/article/a-guide-to-canadian-immigration)
All I am
saying here is that researching the depths of issues and problems is a
necessity if we are to be informed proponents and recipients of effective,
efficient, ethical, equitable and excellent legislation, policy-making and
governmental behavior.
At this
moment in our history, we are not being afforded the importance of governmental
processes that go to the heart of the matters affecting our lives. We are the captives and victims of political
party ideology and of elected officials whose main purpose for holding office
seems to be the rewards and perks that the office can render. We are caught in the grip of political
leaders who seem to have little or no understanding of the mission of
government, the purposes for which it exists or the outcomes it should, and
should not, pursue.
Donald Trump
is the epitome of that lack of depth and perception, and his followers and sycophants
are no better. Instead of leaders who
might guide us toward the realm of real issues and real problems, we are beset
with a plethora of invented, inverted, incomprehensible, indescribable tangents
that are constructed for the inappropriate manipulation of a base of voters who
appear to have limited knowledge or comprehension of what government can do, or
should do, as guardians of our democracy, our society and our very lives.
Critical
thinking and in-depth research are not their forte, and without such, we could
be doomed to more unethical and abusive tactics like using separation of families at our borders and placing the separated children into detention camps in order to discourage other families from coming to our borders. Or, we could again experience the non-constitutional shut-down of
government as an acceptable means for forcing the appropriation of enough
billions of wasted tax money to fund another disaster like a medieval wall on our southern border. The strong white nationalist beliefs of the
Trump minions have led us to the myth that Mexican (and other Latino immigrants)
will steal jobs, will steal our property, steal our tax money through welfare
payments, and are criminals to begin with. Such authoritarian rhetoric and tactics are touted as perfectly acceptable solutions for tackling border security problems. For a
president of the US to spout such vitriol, and to use such tactics, is demeaning to us all.
“Latinos have
been in North America for longer than English speakers. The Hispanic influence
can be felt everywhere from the names of our cities and states, to the food we eat. Few people, however, know what a major impact
Latinos have had on the course of U.S. history. Hispanics have played a role in
several key events since the War of Independence itself — helping to establish
and preserve the union, defend the country in war, and strengthen the national
economy during peace.” (HuffingtonPost.com)
To reject a
population of Latino people who have not only been contributing recently to our
country’s welfare but are descendants of people who helped to found and build
many of the communities in those border states and elsewhere, is but one
horrendous example of false nationalistic beliefs that plague our lives and threaten our values.
Latinos are a
people of art, song and music that enervates our society; this is a
people of strong family traditions that bind generations together to build
strong communities; this is a people who have been our allies in many of our
darkest moments; this is a people who have labored at needed jobs like farm-work
and home-building to help maintain a strong economy; and this is a people who
have given us both men and women who have led us forward in the quest for a
better life for all, like the early Governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez, who played a key role in
helping George Washington, or Cesar Chavez of more modern times, who organized
Latino farm workers, or Ms. A. O. Cortez who is the youngest member elected to Congress.
With this
brief, but necessary, sidebar, let us return to our main concern. We are being led astray from important issues
and problems-to-be-solved by the incompetence and chaos coming from a pretend
president and a Republican Party devoid of real leadership, moral integrity and in-depth
legislation.
One of those policy issues has to
do with, not just immigration, but Naturalization. The Constitution calls us to plan a
comprehensive path to citizenship and we are instead consumed at this moment with
building a border wall, keeping Mexicans out of our country, and trying to get
government functioning again. What a
shame.
The issue is
not the Wall; the issue is not criminal or violent behavior from illegal
immigrants; the issue is not government shut-down. The issue revolves around our nation’s need
for a comprehensive Plan for Naturalization.
We need to define that issue more succinctly by answering some critical
questions:
· How do we go about providing paths to
citizenship that fulfill constitutional guidelines, protect our borders to the
extent required, and provide a reasonable, fair and helpful process to
immigrants and asylum-seekers?
· How do we balance our need for
certain workers and professionals with our obligations to be humanitarian
regarding refugees and asylum-seekers?
What do we want the process of
comprehensive Naturalization to look like?
o
What
talents and skills do we need?
o
What
jobs do we need filled?
o
What
professionals do we need because we’re not producing them?
o
What
do we need and how do we choose to fulfill those needs?
+ What do we offer as incentives to
needed immigrants?
·
At the same time, what is the
appropriate response to illegal crossing of our borders?
· What do we do about those migrants
seeking asylum since we have supported it as a universal right through the
signing of a UN protocol?
· And just what is an equitable and
fair way to approach the question of how long
one has to wait to conclude that path to citizenship? Canada seems to think it should be a much
shorter process. And, if you were paying
attention, it appeared that the founding writers of our Constitution felt
someone shouldn’t have to wait forever to be able to be declared a citizen and
thus be able to run for office!
So just what
does the building of a wall and the made-up crisis of ‘criminals’ gathering at our
southern border have to do with a comprehensive Naturalization Plan?
Well, they are not the main issue or focus of
what Congress and the Executive are called to do.
They are tangents, diversions, bamboozlers – meant to appease the
Right-wing nationalists and to frustrate the majority in this country who
recognize the travesty being perpetrated upon us. When Trump expressed approval a short time
ago for a bi-partisan deal that passed both House and Senate, and then reneged
because right-wing talk show hosts told him to, we gained a clear vision of what
drives this pretender and his followers: authoritarian ideological purity is what drives these despotic nationalists. The needs and problems of the People always
take a back-seat to their nationalistic fabricated viewpoints and talking points.
Currently,
any movement toward welcoming immigrants to our shores seems to be a negative
as far as Trump and his sympathizers are concerned. They emphasize a belief that letting certain
foreigners (Islamists, Latinos, and leftists) in will rob us of jobs, invite a
crime wave, and loose terrorists on our society. Declaring that this is a national crisis,
possibly a national emergency -- a threat to our security, economy and way of
life-- does not make it so, especially when no amount of proof accompanies such
‘revelations.’
The
Democrats in the House are right to oppose this wall and to stand by their
double- track process of re-opening government first and then dealing with
border security. But, the Democrats in both chambers must
also work to change the narrative from 'border security' to "paths to citizenship" and call for a comprehensive Naturalization Plan and Policy.
Let’s get the focus back where
it belongs; do the necessary in-depth research and then come up with a Plan and
a process by which the problems that grow out of the main issue of path to
citizenship can be resolved. As part of
that new dialogue, more modern (and humane) means of border security can be
researched and funded appropriately within the boundaries of our values and
democratic process.
Don’t be led
astray (“bamboozled”) by the charlatan posing as a president. FOCUS on the core issue, CHANGE the NARRATIVE,
and RESOLVE the REAL PROBLEMS !
