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Dec 12, 2008 Letters
Dear Editor,
A priority for Guyanese Americans, besides fixing the anemic economy, is for the newly-elected President Barack Obama to grant some kind of amnesty to undocumented immigrants, so they can bring stability to their lives and those of their family members. The same holds true for other immigrant groups in America.
I just returned from a trip to Mexico, where there is much hope that Obama and his new Democratic Congressional majorities would act quickly to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants in the U.S., estimated at around 13 million, most of whom are Mexicans.
There is much excitement in Mexico over the election of Obama as America’s President, as it is in most countries. In Mexico, Obama is admired for overcoming adversity to get elected to the highest political position in America. As one professor from a university in Mexico City told me, “Obama came from nothing and struggled his way up as the son of an immigrant, just like how Mexican immigrants came to America with nothing and are building their way up. The Mexican people love Obama for his remarkable achievement.”
They see many Mexicans engaging in similar kinds of struggle like Obama’s in America and hope they can also rise to the top 20 positions. Immigrant groups in America would be disappointed if Obama does not tackle the amnesty issue during his presidency, because so much hope rests on him among people in the developing world. Amnesty would allow illegals to regularize their status and be able to visit loved ones they have not seen for years. Mexicans have a lot of clout in America because of their size, and it would be wise for other groups, like Guyanese, to join with the Hispanic population in general to nudge the newly-elected Administration to act on policies that would benefit them.
There is an estimated 33 million Americans who are of Mexican background, and they played a critical role in Obama’s victory, as they also did for outgoing President George Bush in 2000 and 2004.
Mexicans, who generally vote Democrat, gave almost half of their votes to Bush in 2004, but returned to the Democratic fold to give 70% to Obama in November. Bush disappointed them, and they hope Obama will not do the same. A recent study showed that the large Mexican presence caused Obama to win 46 electoral votes in key battleground states out West. In addition, the Mexican vote helped Obama to win in Eastern states like North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, etc., all key states (of more than 100 electoral votes) that produced the victory (of 364 votes) for Obama; 270 votes were needed for victory. Mexicans also make up nearly a third of the electorate in California which gave Obama 54 votes.
A majority of other immigrant groups also voted for Obama, and they also are hoping Obama would tackle the amnesty issue so their relatives would live with a peace of mind in America. Bush tried several times to get Congress to pass a law granting a limited amnesty, but his Republican colleagues killed the bill.
Obama now has a sympathetic Congress that will back his call for amnesty. However, the last thing on Americans’ minds is granting amnesty to undocumented aliens when the economy is slumping. Amnesty is just not saleable any time soon. But the President-elect needs to be reminded of his promises to the Mexicans out West. Once the Congress and the new President address various economic stimulus packages, I think they should be encouraged to turn their attention to amnesty within this election cycle. This will bring happy faces to immigrants, like Guyanese in America.
Vishnu Bisram
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