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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
McCain releases another Spanish language ad, titled “Cuba prisoners”
Sen. John McCain released another Spanish-language radio ad Wednesday which features the voice of Roberto Martin Perez, who spent 28 years as a political prisoner in Cuba.
Perez says in the spot that “while some support a dialogue with Raul Castro, John McCain believes we should support the the courageous men and women who continue to stand up for freedom in Cuba.”
Perez also says that McCain “knows that freedom in Cuba won’t be achieved with concessions to dictatorships.”
Here is a translation of the entire ad provided by the McCain campaign:
ROBERTO MARTIN PEREZ: This is Roberto Martin Perez, Cuban political prisoner for 28 years. The harsh reality is that millions of my fellow Cuban citizens are prisoners in their own country.
Despite this, our spirit remains resilient; and John McCain knows that Raul Castro is like his brother, a man that does almost anything to stay in power, violating the fundamental rights of Cubans.
Now, he allows them to use cell phones and computers, but at the same time, censors the right to speak.
While some support a dialogue with Raul Castro, John McCain believes we should support the courageous men and women who continue to stand up for freedom in Cuba.
Rather than resume relations with Raul Castro, John McCain wants first and foremost for all political prisoners to be released.
As someone who has survived the harsh conditions of the Vietnamese prisons, John McCain knows that freedom in Cuba won’t be achieved with concessions to dictatorships.
JOHN MCCAIN: I’m John McCain and I approve this message.
Listen to the ad in Spanish here.
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Bush administration defends E-Verify
The nation’s top immigration official on Tuesday defended a federal system — known as E-Verify — that allows businesses to check the legal status of workers.
Scharfen testified before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, amid growing concerns that the verification system could mistakenly reject legal residents and citizens.
Scharfen said that 99.5 percent of all people authorized to work are verified immediately through the E-Verify system.
E-Verify is currently voluntary in most states, but several proposals in Congress would make it a requirement for all U.S. businesses.
In addition, the White House announced Monday that President Bush has signed an executive order that requires all future government contractors to verify whether their employees are in the United States legally.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat who chairs the committee, pointed to the case of Traci Hong, a naturalized citizen who is an attorney that works for the panel. Hong was run through the E-Verify system last year and was not immediately approved.
It took six separate trips to the Social Security office to fix the problem, Lofgren said. “And she is an immigration lawyer working for the chair of the immigration subcommittee.”
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House passes Merida Initiative
Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., a hardliner on illegal immigration, praised his colleagues Tuesday for passing a measure that devotes $1.6 billion to fight drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America.
The House passed the measure — known as the Merida Initiative — by a vote of 311-106.
“The drug wars in Mexico and in other regions have grown horrendously violent and their destructive ways must be quashed,” Bilbray said, in a statement.
Bilbray chairs the Immigration Reform Caucus, which seeks stronger immigration enforcement.
Some conservatives oppose the Merida Initiative, saying that it unjustly gives millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to Mexico.
“It is inexcusable, it is intolerable to send one dime to the Mexican government when they can afford to pay for this equipment themselves,” said Rep. John Culberson, a Texas Republican, according to Congressional Quarterly. “But more importantly, our Southern border is not secure.”
Bilbray said the measure will authorize “a whole litany” of equipment, training, and other assistance.
It will provide helicopters, surveillance equipment, computer infrastructure, expansion of intelligence databases, anti-corruption initiatives, human rights education and training, and anti-money laundering programs, he said.
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Religious leaders: stop “hateful rhetoric” on immigration
A group of religious leaders in Florida on Tuesday urged federal, state and local officials to refrain from “hateful rhetoric” on immigration.
The group — Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform — said in a letter and press release that Congress’ failure to enact a broad immigration bill last year has created “a heated environment where unfounded blame is all too commonly placed on undocumented immigrants. ”
The bill, which would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship and created a guest worker program, died in the Senate last year, after strong protests from conservatives.
“As Christians in our respective churches we have seen firsthand the human toll borne by the men, women, and children caught in the trap of our broken immigration system,” said Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland Church in Orlando. “It does not reflect the spirit of Christ to demonize people, all of whom are made in God’s image, especially those who He would recognize as the most vulnerable among us.”
See the letter here.
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Europe legalizes thousand of illegal immigrants
The New York Times today looks at southern Europe’s efforts to deal with illegal immigration.
Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece have run at least 15 legalization programs in the last two decades, the article says.
A Spanish effort three years ago that was among the largest.
“With little domestic opposition, Spain legalized nearly 600,000 of the African, Latin American and eastern European workers who helped power its economy and brought this once insular land the strengths and strains of diversity,” the Times said.
Read more here.
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Feds must check workers’ legal status
Federal contractors must verify that their employees are in the United States legally, under an executive order signed by President Bush.
The White House announced Monday that the president signed the order last week.
It says that the executive branch will “enforce fully the immigration laws of the United States, including the detection and removal of illegal aliens and the imposition of legal sanctions against employers that hire illegal aliens.”
The order allows Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff to determine what verification system future contractors must use. He chose a federal system known as E-Verify.
Using the Internet-based system, which is currently voluntary, an employer can check within seconds whether employees are in the United States legally by comparing their information to electronic government records.
If the information doesn’t match, the employee has an opportunity to correct the paperwork, often through a trip to a Social Security office.
Critics — including civil rights organizations and Hispanic groups — have assailed E-verify, saying that it relies on faulty government databases and would cause thousands of citizens and legal residents to be mistakenly rejected for work. They also say it would cripple the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Read more here.
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Obama, McCain to speak at National Council of La Raza
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights organization, announced on Monday that presumptive presidential nominees Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama will speak at the group’s annual conference in July in San Diego.
“The presumptive presidential nominees and other government and business leaders speaking at NCLR’s annual conference will address a Latino community that is strengthening its political voice and engaging in campaigns, voter registration, and citizenship drives as never before,” said Janet Murguia, NCLR president.
McCain and Obama are both going after Latino voters aggressively. Hispanics could be a key voting bloc in several swing states such as Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.
