How do we unite to end the hemorrhage?

PHOENIX (By Jon Garrido, Hispanic News) October 31, 2007 — We are not winning! Immigration reform was killed by the U.S. Senate on June 28. On October 24, the DREAM Act fell short of the required votes. Everyone with a brown face is suspect as someone who arrived here last night from Mexico. Anti Hispanic sentiments are being felt by all Hispanics across the United States. For migrants, the fear of being arrested is forcing people further into the shadows. Some migrants are forced to relocate to friendlier communities — sometimes to another state. Frequent ICE raids and arrests are happening in the work place often times into private housing. Students are being forced from attending higher education for lack of being able to pay in-state tuition. 1500 Laws against migrants across the United States have been approved. This is a horrible time for migrants forced to leave purchased homes at great losses. Gains made by Hispanics in recent years are now being lost. The American dream has come to an end. Out of this festering turmoil, Hispanics are even falling prey to other Hispanics witness predatory home loans enabled by hidden loans to boost down payments to qualify all arranged by Hispanic real estate and mortgage brokers. This is not a good time for Hispanics who bought homes before the sub prime market bust. Now they are loosing their homes because they can not afford their monthly payments with the increased changes.

It is almost impossible to make gains. Some Hispanic organizations are even collaborating with those that would do us harm. We are selling our souls and making irrational unjustified linkages that would be used against us. In Phoenix, many Hispanics are fighting Republican talk radio which was instrumental in defeating immigration reform and at the very same time, another Hispanic organization is bestowing honors on the villain that pays for advertising on Republican talk radio that is working against us. How is it that we are so blind to these collaborations? How is it we are so readily available to prostitute ourselves for a few token dollars.

One way of beginning to fight back is to unify but too often we are blind and oblivious to those that would hurt us. Unity or least a shared understanding of who the villains are will not stop the downward spiral but at least we can slow the hemorrhage.

We must begin by identifying those that have betrayed us; consequently, doing us harm.

How can any one justify Hispanics who represent Hispanics voting for laws that bring devastation to so many other Hispanics. Is their skin not brown like ours? It appears not!

How can any Hispanic who sits in the Arizona legislature justify voting for a law that would cause 500,000 migrants to leave our state. Think of the broken family, community, and school ties lost and not least, the anguish of not knowing what the future holds for one's family.

Every Hispanic legislator who voted for the new Employer verification law should be hung in effigy to show our distain with their arrogance of power and being aloof to the turmoil they have caused.

I am serious about hanging them in effigy. When cooler weather comes, we should hold a rally and burn in effigy those that would do us harm. Every legislator and organization contrary to our advocacy for Hispanics must pay. They can not escape the betrayal and harm they have done.

What follows is a small identification of those that have betrayed us and showed us no respect. Each organization and individual should be shunned and their names be made known to all — they have betrayed the Hispanic community.

Conservative Talk Radio Killed Immigration Reform

On October 4, Arizona State University held a national conference on Immigration and the Public Sector. National immigration experts and academic leaders were in Phoenix to share research, insight and address questions on the impact of immigration and immigration policies on people working in the public sector.

The key note speaker was Linda Chavez, chair for the Center for Equal Opportunity, author and commentator who talked about immigration reform.

On Horizonte, Linda Chavez, was asked: "How would you describe what had happened with the bill that went down in the senate that was supported by President Bush, sponsored by senators McCain and Kyl? And yet members of the Republican Party helped to sink it."

Linda Chavez responded, "I think it really was a reaction to talk radio. I think you've got a lot of people out there speaking very loudly with very large megaphones, and they're shedding not much light on the issue, but they're generating a lot of heat. I take a look at some of the cable news shows. Lou Dobbs virtually every single night is campaigning against illegal immigration of the United States. And I think what you saw were Republicans being scared by a fairly small segment within the Republican Party who feels very strongly. I think it's probably around 10% of the Republican base who feels very, very strongly we cannot have legal immigration in the United States. That we ought to roll back immigration, send people home, et cetera. But they reacted to that, and I think they did so in ways that, in the long run, are going to be very harmful for the Republican Party. The demographics of the United States are very clear. We are becoming increasingly a society that has lots and lots of Hispanics in the society, and I think, if you convince Hispanics that they're not wanted in the Republican Party, then the Republican party is going to look to being the minority party in this country and could end up going the way of the Whigs."

On September 5, I wrote Racism Killed Immigration Reform. The recent immigration debate in the Senate, which ended with the defeat of a bill that would have given a path to citizenship to many of the 12 million undocumented workers, has given way to the biggest explosion of anti-Hispanic sentiment we have ever seen in America. Spearheaded by Numbers USA which daily lobbied the United States Senate that Americans did not want immigration reform much less "amnesty" and fueled across the United States was conservative Republican talk radio which provided the grass roots support for Numbers USA to lobby the United States Senate to kill immigration reform.

Valle de Sol

On September 7, 2007, Valley del Sol at its 17th annual Profiles of Success Hispanic Leadership Awards banquet honored Eddie Basha for work in the Hispanic community.

The Phoenix-based community organization used the event to spotlight individuals who have been active community leaders.

"What we're looking for is a commitment to improving the community, especially making an impact on the Hispanic community," said Luz Sarmina, Valle del Sol's president and CEO.

Eddie Basha was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his work as a Hispanic community activist.

Could this possibly be the same Eddie Basha who bought advertising to promote conservative Republican hate talk radio in Phoenix who according to Linda Chavez was responsible for the defeat of immigration reform?

I tried to give Luz Sarmina the benefit of the doubt so I visiting the Valle de Sol office not once but twice asking for an interview and each time requested a telephone call from Luz — there was no response. I think the right call for this treatment — arrogance.

Reluctant to take a Hispanic to the woodshed, I made a vow to myself to contact 20 prominent Phoenix Hispanic leaders to ask them what they thought about Valle del Sol honoring Basha with induction into the Hall of Fame. I initiated each conversation by stating I was in the process of writing an editorial condemning this tribute. I told each person if just one person tells me I should not do this, I will not write the editorial condemning Luz.

Not one person defended Luz. All agreed the tribute to Basha was an abomination, callous and hard-hearted.

When I asked someone why no one had question the tribute to Basha, I got the following response: "No one dares to."

One of the 20 Hispanic leaders suggested Luz was unaware it was talk radio that killed immigration reform which brought a livid response from me: This is comparable to continuing to provide cough syrup to toddlers after the entire United States has learned giving cough syrup to toddlers is deadly.

If Valle de Sol has its head in the sand like an ostrich and does not supposedly know what the entire United States knows, then they are not serving the best interests of their clients nor the entire Phoenix Hispanic community. Another classic example of not being in touch with what is happening all over the United States as symbolized by arrogance on the part by Valle del Sol. Their way of dealing with the plight of the undocumented without immigration reform is to have another banquet.

Not a banquet for the undocumented but for the Anglo community as evident by its sponsors made so visible by Channel 12. Not Univision but plenty of glitz and glamour showcasing Anglo connections. Take a look at their board of directors and notice the abundance of non Hispanic names. Should not a Hispanic organization who portrays itself as a Hispanic organization have a Hispanic board of directors?

Maybe it is time the Hispanic community should take a harder look at Valle del Sol. On each visit, I did not see Hispanic professionals. Should not this Hispanic organization be flying the banner for hiring of Hispanic professionals?

If Valle de Sol has no concern with current events adversely impacting the undocumented community, with their only concern being providing parochial services to their client base, this is shallow thinking for by January 1, 2007, 500,000 undocumented may be forced to leave Arizona because of the hypocritical stance taken by Janet Napolitano in approving legislation terminating the undocumented without proper documentation to leave Arizona.

When this happens who then will Valle de Sol serve? Their community base will be depleted of clients and then maybe they will emerge out of their cave to see the consequence of supporting the sponsors of conservative talk radio: Namely Eddie Basha.

The Valle de Sol recipients also had a responsibility to turn down their awards instead of receiving tainted awards.

They all knew who the recipients were. For not speaking up to defend migrants, they went along with Valle de Sol and so, they too are guilty. They should have refused the awards and boycotted the presentations.

State Legislature Democrats who Voted to Approve HB 2779

The most callous action taken by Hispanics against other Hispanics was taken by members of the Arizona State Legislature who voted to approve HB 2779, the Fair and Legal Employment Act (Employer verification requiring employees have valid social security cards to continue employment).

If all undocumented workers are removed from Arizona's workforce, economic output will drop annually by at least $29 billion, or 8.2 percent, according to a University of Arizona report.

It also found Arizona's documented and undocumented immigrants generate nearly $44 billion in output annually.

"Output" includes the value of goods produced in industry, wages and profits.

The study also looked at what would happen to specific industries that lost most non-citizen workers. The figures assumed unskilled citizens would fill some positions.

Without most non-citizen immigrants, the simulations showed:

• $6.56 billion in lost construction output.

• $3.77 billion lost in manufacturing.

• $2.48 billion lost in service sectors.

• $600.9 million lost in agriculture.

According to Daniel Gonzalez, "It's impossible to count how many undocumented immigrants have fled because of the new law. But based on interviews with undocumented immigrants, immigrant advocates, community leaders and real-estate agents, at least several hundred have left since Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the bill on July 2. There are an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona. Some are moving to other states, where they think they will have an easier time getting jobs. Others are returning to Mexico, selling their effects and putting their houses on the market."

The Hispanics identified below voted in favor of HB 2779. They should be voted out of office for failing to advocate the welfare of Hispanic migrants. Either they were too stupid to understand what they voted for or they believe migrants should be abolished from Arizona. Regardless, they have no businesses representing the Hispanic community. To add insult to injury, some portray themselves as advocates for the Hispanic community. Voting with out any one supposedly knowing in the dark chambers of the state legislature shows their true sentiments of being anti-migrants and thus being anti-Hispanic. 

There is no justification voting "yes" on HB 2779. Some legislators have supported the migrant community in the past but a "yes" vote on HB 2779 out weights by a trillion times any act to support the migrant community. Voting "yes" is indefensible. These Hispanic legislators talk out of both sides of their mouths.

The following Senate Democratic members voted in favor of House Bill 2779; fair and legal employment act.

The following House Democratic members voted in favor of House Bill 2779.

House Democratic "yes" Votes for HB 2779, Third Reading: fair & legal employment act.

Elias Bermudez must stop pandering for Kyl and McCain. Kyl voted "No" against the Dream Act. McCain left the Senate floor before the vote so he would not have to vote "No" on the bill. How can Bermudez continue to support Kyl and McCain if Bermudez is providing immigration services? Is this not a contradiction?

Janet Napolitano

Terry Goddard

Joe Arpaio