Immigration Reform

Barack Hussein Obama three words that are a rarity in the American lexicon and yet still he is the head of the pack in the Beltway. Bravo Mr. President! You have out classed the Neo Cons and the Tea Party pundits with your intellect, wit and charisma. Politics of arrogance is becoming a thing of the past in the United States. Politics is not always about the accumulation of political capital and mileage. It is also conscionable moral conviction which posterity will be the final arbiter. For once, I will veer off my normal course of writing and delve into the public discourse that is generating significant reviews both positive and negative in the United States. A good friend and a brother Mr. Ryan Patrick Parker Posted a stautus update on Facebook that prompted me to add my view to the ensuing discourse on immigration. My blog focuses on issues that are African in general and Gambian in particular and the raging debate on immigration reform and the recent address made by Barack Obama is pertinent to the African and by extension the Gambian expatriates in the United States and their dependents in the homeland. On that note, I Salute the Commander in Chief for his gutsy and moral move to sanitize the immigration issue once and for all.

Immigrant bashing is ignorance and arrogance being championed by Washington beltway bandits called "neo-cons". Immigration reform is racism hiding behind public policy. Pause for moments ask yourself who is an immigrant? Last time I checked my fact book, the Kennedy’s, Bush's, Reagan’s and others came through Ellis Island albeit they came earlier than others. By the way, I often ponder with a lot of sarcasm what an American is. Lest we forget, we are a nation of immigrants who came much earlier than the present immigrants we are chastising today. America is and will forever be a melting pot due to the diversity of its current inhabitants. The sooner we accept this notion the better for all. America is a country that has given refuge to the Anglo Saxons that were at one point undesirable elements in their native Europe, The Africans were also shipped to North America unwillingly and have to call America home. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the indigenous (Native Americans) that have welcomed us to the new world. Therefore to whom much is given, much is also expected. We have to be tolerant and not xenophobic. If the natives were like the Governor and Sheriff of Arizona, we would not have heard names such as Kennedy, Clinton, Rockefeller, Bush etc. etc. The likes of Rush Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs don’t have a place in modern America. What is happening to the great open society called America? Immigration was never an issue when Africans were shipped in droves to toil in the cotton and tobacco fields of Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi and other southern states.  Politicians for a longest of time have been taking a side swipe on the issue of immigration because of its controversial nature.

This pronouncement is welcome news to many Africans because it will not only reunite families but legitimize the status of some hard working people who are the bedrock of the American Economy. These people have been legally criminalized for just wanting to make a living. A lot of lives are lost crossing the Rio Grande just to make it across to the USA. The best way to fight global immigration issues is to liberalize the global trading systems and introduce fairer trade regimes. People will always look for greener pastures to graze on just like the "pilgrims" that landed on Plymouth Rock. All the immigrants that landed in the shores of the USA were economic refugees albeit voluntary or involuntary. God bless the ideals of the USA and help us get rid of the Neo-Cons who have taken captive of public opinion.