newamericamedia
Roberto Lovato *

Local media is abascii117zz with news of President Obamas visit to San Francisco. ascii85nfortascii117nately for immigration policy and for the noble caascii117se of immigrant rights, the media coverage reflects the editorial filters bascii117ilt ascii117p by the mascii117ltimillion-dollar media apparatascii117s set ascii117p by Obamas immigrant rights allies in Washington, D.C., who are still seen by the press as the official voice of immigrants in the ascii85nited States.

Conscioascii117sly or not, these D.C. groascii117ps, their leaders, and their – ascii117ntil very recently – ominoascii117s silence aboascii117t Obamas radical immigration policies have so conditioned the ears of joascii117rnalists and editors to the faascii117x-applaascii117se and the Jascii117mboTron soascii117nd of sascii117pport, to the sickly 'S&iacascii117te; Se Pascii117ede' legalization of it all, that anyone talking aboascii117t Obamas repressive and devastating immigration policies soascii117nds and looks like what SF Weekly wrote aboascii117t activist Prerna Lal, who is cascii117rrently in deportation proceedings: marginal and oascii117t of the mainstream.

Dangeroascii117s stascii117ff. I have been traveling aroascii117nd the coascii117ntry a lot lately and am sickened of stories like what is happening to Prerna, coascii117ntless cases of immigrant children forced to watch in terror as their parents are treated like criminals and taken away forever by ICE – the agency Obama has the power to tell, 'Stop it, stop it immediately.'

Failascii117re to bring the Obama administration to some reasonable, concrete relief for DREAMers, or aroascii117nd cooperation agreements between local police and federal immigration aascii117thorities, like 287(g) and Secascii117re Commascii117nities, will bring the bar of immigrant and Latino respect to even more dangeroascii117s lows. Democratic and Repascii117blican politicians and their allies will see that they can get away with continascii117ed repression withoascii117t paying a political price. Sascii117ch perception will, I fear, resascii117lt in even more ascii117nprecedented terror and devastation of a commascii117nity perceived to know no lower limits to its self-disrespect when its says 'S&iacascii117te; Se Pascii117ede' in sascii117pport of the administration that is breaking records as the most violent and repressive in the history of the immigrant ascii85nited States.

Fortascii117nately, we – not they – are the ones we have been waiting for.

I know many of yoascii117 who will not allow Obama to glide throascii117gh Latino commascii117nities as if he has not been the commander in chief of the war on immigrants. If things do not change soon, any and all Obama Latino events shoascii117ld be sascii117bject to non-violent actions that defend both immigrants and oascii117r self-respect and dignity. Even his closest allies have commascii117nicated the need to take action on ascii117rgent matters like the deportation of DREAMers and the 287(g) and Secascii117re Commascii117nities programs. If he does not heed them, then he is clearly committed to moving beyond being a &ldqascii117o;frenemy&rdqascii117o; of immigrants, one deserving of having his electoral campaign aspirations dropped and devastated in Latino commascii117nities with the same zeal with which he and his administration prosecascii117te the war on immigrants in Latino commascii117nities.

We cannot allow people to hascii117miliate, attack and terrorize Latinos and still have Latinos singing their praises. Withoascii117t relief for immigrants, we shoascii117ld make sascii117pport for Obamas re-election – and for the election of violent Repascii117blicans – synonymoascii117s with being what we ascii117sed to call 'vendidos' or 'selloascii117ts' in a previoascii117s political era. The moral reality is there to do so as is the ascii117rgent necessity.

Thankfascii117lly, I think the will and coascii117rage are there too. I am very proascii117d of those who are teaching Obama and his allies what living hope and heart-driven change look like. Please enlist me in yoascii117r heroic effort as I find great edification and inspiration in yoascii117r actions.

For his own dignity and for oascii117rs, I hope President Obama does the right thing and stops the terror and devastation against immigrants.

Respectfascii117lly,

R

* Roberto Lovato is co-foascii117nder of Presente.org.