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A second blurb on immigration. Sue us, but it is DREAM Relief Day.
This time N.Y.C. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is making news for his insistence that the issue of immigration reform be featured in the presidential debates this fall.
“America is committing economic suicide by failing to confront the issue of immigration reform,” the mayor told members of the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday. “There is no way to help the economy as quickly and as cost-free as opening the borders to create jobs and create business.”
As the Chicago Sun-Times reported:
“The immigration reform topic was spurred by a new study from Partnership for a New American Economy (renewoureconomy.org), a bipartisan group of mayors and business leaders.
The study, ‘Open for Business,’ notes that ‘from local neighborhood shops to America’s largest companies, immigrant business owners contribute more than $775 billion dollars in revenue to our annual Gross Domestic Product and employ one out of every 10 American workers at privately owned companies across the country.’ “
In a heartening display of solidarity, Bloomberg was joined by Rupert Murdoch, the powerful head of News Corp. (which owns the likes of The Wall Street Journal), and Bill Daley, the former Obama chief of staff and former secretary of Commerce under Clinton.
Again, the Sun-Times:
“Both Bloomberg and Bill Daley are in agreement that immigrants bring energy and spirit to America’s economy. ‘Every other growing country is encouraging immigration, paying people to come and open businesses,’ said Bloomberg, referring to the legal immigration policies of Canada. ‘Those immigrants don’t come to go on welfare. They take risks and they work hard to make a better life for their children. . . . We can’t keep [our prosperity] by keeping others from getting it.’
Bloomberg is working hard to get both candidates to address the issue now — before the election — noting that both parties have a stake in resolving the issue. Business wants immigration reform because it needs to keep highly skilled workers. But Bloomberg also noted that crops are rotting in the ground for lack of a sensible migrant worker program. And universities are losing their best talent when immigrants get degrees but cannot get green cards to teach and do research here.”
Of course, we applaud the mayor for his fiery advocacy of immigrant rights and immigration reform. Lord knows the movement could use more friends in high places — after all, Obama’s only one man.
But what about Latinos who are already citizens and find themselves targeted by Bloomberg’s draconian stop-and-frisk police program? As recently as Monday it was reported that Mayor Bloomberg — and his aide-de-camp, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly — still see no need to alter in any way the discriminatory practice of targeting black and Latino young men and searching them for contraband.
Reported by Fox News Latino:
“The NYPD stopped close to 700,000 people on the street last year, up from more than 90,000 a decade ago. Nearly 87 percent were black or Hispanic. About half were frisked. About 10 percent were arrested….
‘Nobody should ask Ray Kelly to apologize. He’s not going to and neither am I,’ Bloomberg said [...] “And I think it’s fair to say that stop, question and frisk has been an essential part of the NYPD’s work.’ “
Bloomberg and his police commissioner stand by their darling of a program even when recent figures show that gun violence has hardly dropped in Bloomberg’s 10 years as mayor and fewer guns are being pulled off the streets.
It seems Mayor Bloomberg may be the first politician in America to prefer Latino immigrants to Latino citizens. The sheer singularity of such a position deserves another applause in itself.
About Being Latino Contributors
that’s a big lie.
Bloomberg is an asshole! The only reason he opens his mouth is to talk absolute nonsense and take the attention away from him not doing his job.
“There is no way to help the economy as quickly and as cost-free as opening the borders to create jobs and create business.” Absolutely, there should be immigration reform. However, Mr. Bloomturd is in no way saying this to help immigrant workers to have a better life in this country. There are 2 sides to every story. He has hidden motives. I cannot wait for his STOLEN third term to be over. Mis dos centavos…
I love how the article went from immigrants to stop and frisk. Well, if black and Latino males (don’t know why we are always connected at the hip we are very different) are getting upset because the police are doing their jobs, then black and Latino men need to stop partaking in various behaviors, styles of dress, types of music, and malcontent attitudes that lead them to be profiled. Duh.
And another thing, there is nothing wrong with businesses run by immigrants – that is what America has always been about. What is wrong is for hoards of people that are here illegally, and who burden already stretched resources, take away jobs that poorer Americans and or legal immigrants can do. I wonder how a poor Latino immigrant who is here legally feels if someone illegal takes alway a job he can be doing. Again very slyly how the language is twisted and used in a slight of hand.
Everything in your speech was racist and biased mario. Besides blaming the victim for being marginalized, you spoke under an assumption that cops are emotionless robots who only do their job and don’t let it get to them, and every Latino and Afro-American who doesn’t conform to middle class WASP culture is a deviant who lives to take their problems out on society. As a Latino who has lived in the ghetto and the burbs, who has friends and family in equal measure that are police officers and legitimate gangsters, without a doubt I can tell you none of that is true. Also, last time I checked my father’s skin is black and he’s puerto rican, so if black isn’t Latino what am I? If you’re referring to African-Americans, then speaking as a puerto rican, my experience is much more tied to them than with Latinos like you. I don’t even have to touch the immigrant issue – it’s inevitable and all the shouting will change nothing
Mario is a fucking asshole and a fucking dsgrace to his family. Your grandparents are rolling in their graves.
Hey Jesus, we can disagree, but spare me the F bombs.
Hector, nothing in my speech was racist – it’s just the reality of life. There is a reason why WASP males are not being stopped. Not all Latinos and blacks are criminals – but if you understand reality sadly they are the ones that commit most crimes. Is the system fair? No. Are some cops scumbags? Yes. But there it is. I wish it could be better.
Is Mario still around? I blocked him about a year ago hes anti Latino especially Mexicans, I think he might be cuban or half but not sure, but he loves to comment on being latino and always wants the last word i gave up on him and blocked him.
He loves Latinos so much that he’s letting NYCHA run to the ground as it keeps $485M in the bank collecting interest while tenants suffer from leakage and other apartment maladies.
Bloomberg is an elitist prick who considers himself above the law.