The world does not stop turning despite being in the midst of an election cycle, and this week, besides the very important primary elections in the state of New York, the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of the United States against the State of Texas. This is the case that so many members of our community and especially the undocumented immigrant community have been waiting for. Finally it will be heard before the high court if the executive orders of DACA and DAPA signed by President Obama are constitutional or not. Both sides are preparing for this fight, not only in court, but also on the streets and in the media.
None of this would have been necessary if Republicans in Congress would have listened to the majority of Americans and implemented comprehensive immigration reform. Despite the efforts of the gang of 8 senators, Republicans refused to negotiate and come up with a plan and President Obama was forced to take action himself. Republicans sued the president for “overstepping” his executive power, when he was just exercising the will of the people and easing the nerves of people at risk of deportation who do not have a criminal record. Republicans preferred to spend a lot of money, better yet, our money – instead of doing their job and doing something to get ahead and reach a real solution.
In the spirit of Tax day, I would like to remind Republicans that currently undocumented immigrants pay $11.6 billion in state and local taxes. Also, those people who qualify for DACA and DAPA programs pay $5.3 billion in state taxes. Republicans want to blind people of these figures and ruin the country in the process. The economic benefits of incorporating the undocumented immigrant population are many, one of which would be the injection of $1.5 trillion into the economy if we pass an immigration reform package.
In total, the country is losing $805 million in annual tax revenue because of xenophobia and the anti -Obama attitude of the Republican Party. Not that it matters to them as a coalition of governors and senators delivered a brief to the court supporting the state of Texas. In the House of Representatives, 234 Republicans voted to give power to the Speaker of the House –Republican- to introduce a similar brief siding with the state of Texas. In this instance, any support for the state of Texas means standing against our community, and for more deportations.
Meanwhile, the Democrats, who are a minority in most of the country’s state legislatures and minority in both houses of Congress, are fighting against the Republicans and making sure they do not achieve their goal. 220 Democrats submitted a brief to the court in support of the executive orders the president signed into action and criticizing the actions of the Republicans in the House of Representatives. Luckily we have leaders like Congressmen Xavier Becerra (D -CA), Linda Sanchez (D -CA), and Luis Gutierrez (D -IL) and others to advocate for the Latino community.
Oral arguments will be presented on April 18 to the justices of the high court. Stay alert, my friends.
Original article can be found at The Washington Hispanic.
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