The Probability of Immigration Reform: Less than Zero

Phoenix (By Jon Garrido, Hispanic News) September 18, 2005 - Within my circle of business acquaintances, advocacy partners, other acquaintances and the hundreds of shoppers I have come to know at the Mesa Food City grocery store where I have shopped nearly daily for the last two years, the talk is not if, but when.

The reality of the situation: the probability of immigration reform is for all practical purposes - dead in the water. Less than zero.

All due to a woman passing in the night.

Not la Llorona who instilled our childhood with fear but another woman who came to visit us in the night with her merciless plundering much like destruction by the Lord's hand made desolate waste of Sodom Gomorrah never to recover it's sinful way of disobeying the Lord, our God.

Everyone called it a disaster of biblical proportions. She created havoc, fear, pain, suffering and most sorrowfully, she instilled: despair.

All done by a woman named: Katrina.

Katrina not only wrecked havoc on the city of New Orleans but brought to a halt all plans and hope for millions of undocumented Hispanics pursing the American dream. The end to the pursuit of American citizenship and that most sought treasure that makes all possible - a valid social security card. The list of wants and needs that could have been made possible only through immigration reform.

To those who live near the corner of Mesa Drive and Southern, Katrina was something happening a million miles away and to other people.

In another country like Iraq, maybe on the moon, but nothing to do with our neighborhood. All believe the impact will never be felt in the Mesa Drive and Southern neighborhoods made up of approximately forty percent undocumented residents plus another forty percent of the area being American Hispanics who provide care, shelter and food to a undocumented relative or undocumented friend of the family.

This Sunday morning is the same as any previous Sunday. Today, life continues as it did yesterday, last week, last month, last year with the only hope that comes not from reading Hispanic News, the Arizona Republic, the New York Times, the Washington Post or even listening to countess Spanish speaking radio stations blaring Luis Miguel's "México, está en el corazón."

The message will come from "word of mouth" softly passing through neighborhood by neighborhood.

The message every one is waiting for will not come of approved immigration reform. The message will come of immigration reform slipping away more so with each passing day.   Immigration reform sinking slowing like the Titanic sunk by the iceberg named Katrina.

Why they will ask?

Many will not understand the answer much less accept it. More will seek solace praying to our "Lady of Guadalupe" but it appears, she too is turning her back on the undocumented.

Immigration reform was always like paddling upstream against the current of anti-Hispanic sentiment. Countering anti-Hispanic mandates by advocating immigration reform, strategies have been formulated and countless meetings have been held by caregivers. With so much energy expended by immigration reform advocates, many of whom think their efforts will bring reform this year, immigration reform is just one more meeting away. Well maybe, two. Not more than three at the most.

All worthy and noble ventures but lacking in reality.

The improbable passage of immigration reform has always been daunted by the lack of a voting constituency.

The American way of life. An ideal to subscribe to for it makes possible achieving the American Dream by the principal America was founded on: the principal of one-man one vote. This great principal in actuality is a double edge sword with two sharp edges for it is this principal, one and the same, that stymies advancement of immigration reform.

The balance between those who live in the Camelback corridor who want to limit building heights and the planners who want to lift height restrictions will be tempered by the Phoenix City Council knowing full well the wrath of voters can turn a city on its head.

This is the one man, one vote principal which along with the rule of law are the two most important tenets that keep America on the right path.

The Camelback corridor residents make up a voting constituency and because of this principal, their rights will never be tampered on.

If only the documented had use of the one man, one vote principal. Herein lies the paradox. La mosca en los frijoles.

The undocumented do not vote.

They are not part of any voting constituency. Even the most likely ally, American Hispanics place the needs of the undocumented at the bottom of their list of priorities. Too quickly, American Hispanics have come to accept the same priorities as all other Americans.

Unfortunately, lack of foresight causes American Hispanics to cut off their noses to spite their faces. What enables American Hispanics to give low priority to the undocumented is essentially our fault.

The fault comes from a leaderless American Hispanic community. The ideal scenario would be to find a leader that would educate American Hispanics on this basic premise: To achieve parity in America's society requires a significant increase in American Hispanics who can vote. This is the only avenue that will bring about institutional change. We are upwards of 14% of the American population but only 6% voted in the 2004 election. Yet this dismal number of voters still brought attention to the needs of all American Hispanics. How much more so would 10%, then 20% and so forth bring?

In Arizona, we comprise upwards of 30% of the population but we are outgunned at nearly every Arizona election. Witness the City of Phoenix election this week. A courageous effort by a Hispanic woman to campaign for city office. Courageous for daring, but oh, what a misguided campaign. To have a priority be the environment in seeking to represent South Phoenix is one of the most amateur campaign strategies ever witnessed. Sometimes, we die at our own hand.

With the right advisors and a campaign managed by experienced political savvy Hispanic individuals, this woman will some day be elected to the Phoenix city council. I for one think she has great potential. 

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs are always nearly as important as no increase in taxes. Next time around, these issues need to be honed by this woman to win.

As bad as the campaign strategy was in this past week's Phoenix election was the unforgettable campaign in the last gubernatorial primary election. An opportunity wasted that could have resulted in electing a governor who not only would have been much better than the present situation but would have given Arizona prominence in this nation's Hispanic leadership.

The Hispanic herd mentality of giving support to a non Hispanic candidate has got to come to an end. This is a never win situation. Witness the Hispanic support given to elect the mayor of Phoenix only to be betrayed when the mayor endorsed the present county attorney. This single act shows the true colors of the Phoenix mayor better than if his confessor had violated his vow of silence to tell the whole world what was confessed. (I have no idea what religion the mayor believes in but you get the point.)

Someday someone has to create a Hispanic consultant campaign organization that takes charge of running campaigns.

There is so much for us to learn and gain if we could only find ourselves an "Antonio Villaraigosa."

Even if this were possible, the misguided perception of most Arizonans has to be re-directed.

To compound the plight of the undocumented, the one man, one vote principal provides the means to impose its will on the perception the undocumented have entered America illegally and are draining America's resources.

This is perception, not fact, for it can be documented and argued the undocumented bring value by their existence in America.

The principal of one man, one vote is the keystone to our Republic but regretfully, the one man, one vote "herd of buffalo mentality" runs in the direction dictated by fervor, astute marketing, and the wrong perception the undocumented are un-deserving with the underlying root cause being - fear of change. Fear of the loss of the status quo.

Yet, the herd mentality visibly portrayed by stampeding buffalo provides an opportunity and challenge. Can the herd be made to turn in another direction?

Yes, but only by a savvy Hispanic leader.

Next year as part of the 2006 elections, Arizonans need to be educated on the positive contributions that have been made in Arizona going back to the early Hispanic excursions in the 1500s to the present.

Hispanics have always been contributors, not takers in Arizona's history. As great as these contributions have been, they are infitismal compared to the contributions, American Hispanics are going to make in Arizona in the future.

Arizona and the Gulf Coast are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Gulf Coast needs the President of the United States to put restoration in a pretty box and tie a ribbon for show.

Arizona does not need Bush. Arizona Hispanics will rise to the occasion to achieve parity in all Arizona categories.

Bush vowed to rebuild the Gulf Coast with the goal of wiping out the legacy of racial discrimination and social inequality that has compounded poverty there but has refused to put a price tag on the reconstruction plan, although members of Congress and others have predicted that it could cost as much as $300 billion.

The final accounting could approach more than $300 billion spent in four years to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.