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>> 133 7 A Pragmatic Proposal for Immigration Reform We need immigration reform that will secure our borders, and . . . that finally brings the 12 million people who are here illegally out of the shadows. . . . We must assert our values and reconcile our principles as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. —President Barack Obama, June 28, 2008 Toning Down the Rhetoric The War of the Worlds radio broadcast discussed in the introduction was a hoax concerning a Martian invasion. The stunt made Orson Wells famous and caused a short-term panic across the country. Nearly a hundred years later, that broadcast exemplifies the media’s ability to create and even distort reality. In many respects, the hyperbolic radio broadcast about Martian invaders parallels today’s vitriolic attacks against immigrant workers.1 Perhaps the recent incarnations of the War of the Worlds broadcast will bring fame to alarmists like Tom Tancredo and Lou Dobbs, but history will likely portray this era as more akin to the McCarthy-led witch hunts of the past. Thus far the alarmists have made a considerable impact on the national and local stage. Too many non-Latino Americans believe that we are in the midst of an invasion that will engulf the country in a crime wave and lead to economic ruin for innocent, law-abiding U.S. citizens. With too few exceptions, conservative leaders have joined the anti-immigrant bandwagon, and leaders in the Democratic Party have 134 > 135 During his first term in office, President Obama repeatedly stated that he could do little to pass comprehensive immigration reform or the DREAM Act without congressional action. But by 2012, it seemed that the discourse was at least starting to change. In January 2012, in the midst of the Republican presidential primaries, the former Florida governor Jeb Bush warned his party of the consequences of taking antiimmigrant stances and its effect on the Latino and Latina electorate.8 Moreover, an up-and-coming young Latino (or Hispanic, as he would likely describe himself) Republican took the prospect of the election to advance a more reasonable dialogue. While his party’s leader of the moment, Mitt Romney, promoted a policy of self-deportation—making life so miserable for the undocumented that they would deport themselves —U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a party darling and likely candidate for the 2016 presidential race, took a politically savvy but somewhat dangerous approach and courageously called for reasoned debate. Such an effort, no matter the political motivations behind it, took considerable courage. And while I have often been critical of the good senator , much credit should be given to him for helping to change the tenor of immigration discourse. His efforts were not only wise advice for his party, they may make it much more difficult for the hatemongering to continue. During his speech at the 2012 Hispanic Leadership Network conference, Rubio observed, For those of us who come from the conservative movement, we must admit that there are those among us who have used rhetoric that is harsh and intolerable, inexcusable, and we must admit, myself included, that sometimes we’ve been too slow in condemning that language for what it is. In another part of the speech, Rubio expressed sympathy for the plight of DREAMers: there is broad support in America for the notion that for those children that were brought here at a very young age, by their parents through no 136 > 137 Thus, politicians from very different political perspectives have begun to change the undocumented immigration discourse. Therefore, a key strategy for changing the negative images that reach the public concerning undocumented immigration may be to confront the hate and to begin to educate the media, the public, and the regulatory community about the effects their messages may cause. Accordingly, challenges to negative media portrayals of immigrants should not be limited to academic publications such as this one. Even if the media and political leaders refuse to change their rhetoric due to inertia, stubbornness, or genuine philosophical differences, they now have a more pragmatic motivation to change.11 According to the latest U.S. census figures, there are 52 million Latinos/Latinas in the United States, constituting 16.7 percent of the population.12 Although only about 24 million Latinos are currently eligible to vote, that number is estimated to double by 2030.13 Despite its diversity, this group has considerable political and economic power, and its members are becoming increasingly politically active.14 At least...

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