Obama must follow to tackle immigration reform
By Albor Ruiz
Published in the Daily News on June 18, 2009

It is not a con job. But to an increasing number of people, President Obama's promise to tackle immigration reform during his first year in office is beginning to look like one.

This week Obama postponed - for the second time - a highly anticipated meeting with congressional leaders that was supposed to start the immigration reform ball rolling once and for all.

First scheduled for June 8, the bipartisan meeting was moved to Wednesday because of "scheduling conflicts." But once again it was canceled, and this time there isn't even a tentative date set.

The postponements were blamed on pressing concerns such as the approval of billions for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the need to push for economic, health care and energy reforms.

What has become clear to many is that immigration reform is no longer - if it ever was - at the top of Obama's legislative agenda.

This is not good news, and there is much disappointment and concern in immigrant communities. Although there is no lack of faith in Obama's intentions, there also is growing awareness that waiting quietly and patiently for the White House to act will not produce results.

"We have to tell the President that he made a promise, and this is the time to fulfill it," said Anna Dioguardi, director of community organizing and development at Queens Community House in Jackson Heights.

Dioguardi is a young, white and enthusiastic native New Yorker who on Tuesday afternoon stood with about a dozen volunteers from a variety of community groups outside the 90th St. No. 7 train station in Corona. In very good Spanish, she urged passers-by - the majority of them Hispanic - to get involved by calling the White House and demand it act decisively to achieve comprehensive reform in 2009.

Dioguardi's group was one of eight others engaged in "subway actions" throughout the five boroughs on Tuesday. Their objective was to sign up hundreds of New Yorkers to a newly formed mobile action network that will be used to share information and unite people across the country to work toward immigration reform.

Groups such as the New York Immigration Coalition, Make the Road NY, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrants Rights, Cabrini Immigrant Services, YKASEC-Empowering the Korean American Community and others that participated in the "subway actions" promised a greater effort to mobilize people to support the President and his promise to Hispanics.

"Join the movement for immigration reform in 2009" read the leaflet the activists handed out. It asked people to use their cell phones to become part of the mobile action network by text messaging the word "justice" to the number 69866. Spanish speakers can text the word "justicia."

"We need hundreds of thousands of people," said Frances Liu of the New York Immigration Coalition. "And we will get them with the mobile network." Judging by the response the volunteers received Tuesday, Liu's prediction is probably on the money.

Also, leaders of the New York State Interfaith Network for Immigration Reform gathered to pray Wednesday for the President and Congress to take immediate action, and that they show the wisdom and moral courage to enact humane immigration reform in 2009.

No, it is not a con job. But as weeks go by without action by the White House, the President's promise to tackle immigration reform in his first year in office increasingly looks like one to more and more people. Hopefully the twice-scrapped bipartisan meeting will finally take place and the immigration reform will get rolling once and for all.