The week's top stories from Fronteras Desk.
Sending immigrants to the back of an endless line
Both the Senate and the President’s proposals for immigration reform agree the pathway to citizenship begins at the “back of the line” — behind everyone who’s legally waiting. But, it turns out, there isn’t one line. There are many lines. And for some families, the wait is so long it’s going back in time.
One immigration lawyer explained the wait time like this: “A U.S. citizen parent that wishes to bring over a son or daughter over 21 who’s single, the wait for Mexico is over 100 years."
Q: How do we measure border security?
Answering this equation is a good start:
Border Patrol Effectiveness = (apprehensions + turn backs) / (estimated got aways + apprehensions + turn backs)
Did you know in 2012 the Border Patrol seized enough marijuana to equal the weight of 154 elephants?
A quarter-century later, 1986 amnesty still informs the immigration debate
“I supported this bill. I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and have lived here even though some time back they may have entered illegally,” Ronald Reagan said in a 1984 debate against Walter Mondale.
“I’m going to do everything I can — and all of us in the administration are — to join in again when Congress is back at it to get an immigration bill that will give us once again control of our borders.”
So, what impact did amnesty have on the immigration debate playing out today?
The first biracial Miss Navajo rides a long rough road to her first Grammy nomination
Navajo singer Radmilla Cody has been nominated for her first Grammy. She will likely turn heads at the ceremony Feb. 10 in Los Angeles in her traditional Navajo dress and moccasins.
Cody also works to empower victims of domestic violence. A survivor of an abusive relationship herself, she speaks out about reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. She quotes frequently cited statistics, such as one in three Native American women will be raped.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano stumps immigration reform in San Diego
“I believe the border is secure. I believe it is a safe border.”
Napolitano said the border could never be 100 percent secure and her administration would continue to put every resource possible into border security.
“But we need immigration reform to go along with this,” Napolitano said.
