James Parks/AFL-CIO, Jennifer Ludden/NPR promote bad, inhumane public policy, illegal immigration

Posted Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 11:44 am

Jennifer Ludden of National Public Radio (NPR) offers a two-part series about those deported from the U.S. to El Salvador in "Deportee Back Home After Near-Death Trip to U.S." (npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89383189) and "Deportee a Stranger in His Homeland" (npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89431942). To a certain extent they're both cautionary tales illustrating why people shouldn't try to come to the U.S. illegally. And, they're also both largely pointless and shallow character sketches. However, as her "notebook" entry makes clear (npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89209765), the stories are designed for an emotional impact and that's the one that they'll no doubt have to the useful idiots who listen to NPR and who are unable to think things through. The first two segments were produced by Marisa Penaloza.

Namely that it's horrific public policy to allow people in that and other countries the "out" of coming to the U.S. illegally. The correct policy response would be to try to improve conditions in those countries. The U.S. simply doesn't have the resources to be an "out" for all the people in El Salvador, Mexico, and the like who are having difficulties in their home countries. To present that as a policy prescription is also inhumane, because there are hundreds of millions or billions of people worse off than those depicted.

One of those joining in with Ludden's inability to think things through is James Parks of the AFL-CIO (blog.aflcio.org/2008/04/08/
npr-series-looks-at-what-really-happens-when-immigrant-workers-are-deported):

Click here to follow Cuellar’s journey home and learn more about what really happens to immigrants who come here seeking a better life... The AFL-CIO has called for real, comprehensive immigration reform that protects the rights of immigrant workers and provides a pathway to citizenship.

The AFL-CIO's goal is to increase their membership ranks and to increase their political power. Thinking things through is not on their agenda.

Related:
Barack Obama co-chair Maria Elena Durazo met with Mexican president Felipe Calderon (also MALDEF's John Trasvina)
Tula Connell/AFL-CIO tries selling illegal immigration (NAFTA)
DHS, SDUT, Harry Reid on Charles Breyer no-match ruling (ACLU, CofC, AFL-CIO)
Trouble in paradise: AFL-CIO, ACLU, NIF, AFSC not fully happy with Flake-Gutierrez; Teamsters, Democrat Lampson
Watanabe, Gorman on "Unity Blueprint for Immigration Reform" (massive amnesty, questionable links)
Coalition vows to defeat harsh immigration bill [HR 4437]

Tags: 
comprehensive immigration reform
barack obama
maldef

Comments

Fred Dawes (not verified)

Tue, 04/08/2008 - 23:30

Obama our enemy, end of story, what will you do?

buck-o-nine (not verified)

Wed, 04/09/2008 - 06:54

'Namely that it's horrific public policy to allow people in that and other countries the "out" of coming to the U.S. illegally.' It certainly is on many different levels. And with simple ameliorative measures disallowed by business interests, the result can only be characterized as POLICY, not some unhappy but unavoidable accident. The good news is we can choose a DIFFERENT policy. We don't have to have such high legal immigration nor such massive illegal immigration. The current policy is bad environmentally and socially http://www.city-journal.org/html/eon2007-06-25jl.html It's an affront to the rule of law to tolerate about a third(!) of your immigration being illegal. Most basically, it's absurd to let other countries determine who will compose your country. Especially when the majority of the illegal people are from a single neighboring country of open irredentism and a 'business plan' built on dumping it's overpopulation on you into the far future while maintaining loyalty to the sending country (admitted to by Juan Hernandez). They have a nice racket and no plans on it ever ending. Thus, it's solely up to us to make our elected representatives do what the Constitution mandates to preserve the U.S. as a sovereign nation-state. We must not just let these people abdicate the sovereignty of the U.S., bit by bit and business take even more of the people's power. Illegal immigration is a sub-issue of this. Open borders policy does not reflect our will but borders are an 'inconvenience' to business. Democracies and nation-states are NOT self-perpetuating and we can't take ours for granted. In the face of the current anti-sovereignty (popular & national) trend, enough of us will have to fight and keep playing defense. It's frustrating, but let's never quit. It's our duty as citizens not to. I hate to see Americans roll over and hold their tongues merely from a fear of offending somebody or being called a name. The rational case is ours so make it with no apologies.