US President Barack Obama was elected to his second term with the overwhelming support of Hispanic voters — some 70 per cent of the demographic gave him their support.
In the Spanish-speaking community in the US, immigration tops the agenda. Too many of their friends, co-workers and relatives are forced to live in the shadows of illegality, risking deportation and arrest for failing to have the proper status.
For the majority of the Republicans illegal immigrants are a scourge that must be shipped back to where it came from, with armed guards manning a fortified fence along the southern border.
Earlier this week, Obama repaid the debt of his political victory by unwrapping a new immigration policy. For the 11 million immigrants living illegally in the US, it offers a clear path to earning green card status and eventual citizenship.
It will allow for the families of those who are working illegally to attend schools without fear of being reported — or to seek medical attention without fear of being deported.
And for those around the world who choose to move to the US, it sets out clear paths where those with valuable skills can invest in a new future there. It’s a plan that all parties should embrace. Enough time and effort is wasted in Washington as lawmakers advance their own partisan agendas. President Obama’s immigration policy is for the good of all — and the economy. The US will be better for it.
