It is time to move from speeches to action on the immigration issue

From President Joe Biden’s statement on immigration in his first speech to Congress, he stands out when he said “let’s put an end to our exhausted war on immigration.” And he added: “Let’s discuss, let’s debate about it, but let’s act.”

And that’s the key word: act.

Because We have seen speech after speech go by, with beautiful and emblematic words extolling the honor, virtues and enormous and undeniable contributions of immigrants to this nation, but that remain in the air when it comes to putting all that discursive inspiration into practice when They are asked to vote.

That is, beyond words, what is important are the actions that your administration takes from now on to promote immigration reform that It has waited for almost four decades. Indeed, there have already been several generations of immigrants who have known how not only to wait, but also to fight for a true change in their migratory situation, at the same time that they direct their lives and that of their families based on work, on the education of their children and their tax contributions, all with a stoicism that raises applause in each of their stories.

Thus, when a president gives a speech, the different pressure groups they always expect me to mention the issue they defend because that means that it is a priority for the administration on duty. But this is not always the case. A president can dedicate paragraphs to a topic to give the pressure groups on his side, but at the time of the hour everything becomes salt and water.

In that sense, It is important today not to give up the effort to point out that this is the right time to do something that transcends the migratory field, by ethical principle and by political survival. The migratory essence of the United States is crying out for this, without there being any other margin to divert it or, failing that, to distort it.

In the case of Biden and the immigration, perhaps one sector expected him to commit to achieving this immigration reform at all costs, even without bipartisan support and through the so-called reconciliation process, which allows the Senate to pass measures with a simple majority of 51 votes, also eliminating dilatory measures (filibuster). It is almost always reserved for budget measures, but in the face of a Republican caucus whose sole purpose is to obstruct and delay, the reconciliation process is music to the ears of many, although others think it is a double-edged sword, given the changes of command in Congress.

In any case, the new administration and its advisers on the immigration issue must seek the best avenues to overcome political obstacles and advance in that and in many ways as part of their public mission, if they really want to lay the foundations of a new era in the country’s history.

Biden was more sparing and we can conclude that he said what he had to say: He called for support for his immigration reform plan that legalizes the 11 million, but at the same time set priorities among the groups: Dreamers, TPS recipients and farm workers. And he also challenged Republicans to submit their ideas to seek some kind of consensus if they don’t like what he’s proposing.

At least Biden took that challenging step with courage, no as a confrontation, but as a message that, now, things can be solved differently.

Not surprisingly, the mention of legalizing the Dreamers was the one that more applause ripped off. Not the mention of the 11 millions, although the reality is that the regularization of the undocumented has the support of a majority of Americans, beyond humanitarian reasons, for practical reasons and economic. Even so, both themes, within his speech, acquire a meaning beyond the rhetorical, and therefore also acquire the level of commitment, more than promise. And that, in the field of ethics, weighs more, much more.

And those two powerful reasons, in addition to the fact that it is an issue that directly impacts millions of individuals and Mixed families, which include voters who have always supported Democrats, must guide the efforts of this new administration to achieve what others have not been able to. Not to crack before giving the fight.

And that is his opportunity, it is his challenge, it is his legacy.

For that for us, the words and the message they send are important. But even more so are the courageous actions that are taken so that those words become real measures that benefit millions of individuals and, consequently, the country.