The Out-of-Touch Caucus
If this congressional gig doesn't work out, Hinojosa ought to write fiction. Obama has been more of a silent partner who has never shown real interest in immigration reform. He likes enforcement. His administration has deported nearly 2 million illegal immigrants, divided hundreds of thousands of families and racked up countless detentions.
According to data obtained by the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center through the Freedom of Information Act, federal officials from 2008 to 2012 held 1,366 immigrant minors for three days or more in adult detention centers. Of that number, 371 minors were held between a month and three months, and 19 were held even longer.
It's the policy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to not hold minors in adult facilities for more than 72 hours. This all took place mostly on Obama's watch.
If the Senate bill -- or anything close to it -- becomes law, we can expect the nightmares to continue.
House Speaker John Boehner has decided not to take on the Senate bill but rather start from scratch with a House bill that would no doubt parrot much of the language on border security.
The CHC should have taken a stand against this rightward lurch. It didn't. Another failure.
So I hereby make a motion to disband the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as irrelevant, pointless, and woefully out-of-step with its own constituents. Can I get a second?
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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.
Copyright 2013 Washington Post Writers Group
