Less than 72 hours after President Biden’s administration announced the details of the “Keeping Families Together” program, to benefit undocumented people married to citizens In the United States, a federal judge in Texas blocked the measure to benefit at least 150,000 families.
Of course, the decision of Judge J. Campbell Barker – placed in that position by none other than Donald Trump – did not occur in a vacuum. It was in response to a lawsuit filed by the government of Texas Governor Gregg Abbott and by the prosecutors of 16 states governed by Republicans. In its profile of Judge Barker, the Alliance for Justice (AFJ) highlights that the judge worked on a highly controversial case in which Texas sought to retry a man with an intellectual disability who, after his murder conviction was overturned on appeal, spent 32 years in prison.
“Barker defended the state’s efforts to execute an African-American man based, in part, on the testimony of a psychologist who said the defendant’s race made him statistically more likely to commit a violent crime,” the file says.
And one wonders. What is the logic behind this Republican strategy of seeking to unnecessarily offend minorities, especially the Latino community?
President Biden’s executive action not only benefits undocumented people, but also their husbands and children who are citizens of the United States.
But the Republicans’ strategy does not stop there. Their platform offers an “aggressive plan to stop open border policies that have opened the floodgates to a surge of migrants at the southern border.”
The most important promises of the Republicans are to close the border with Mexico and stop the invasion of migrants. Secondly, it contemplates carrying out the largest deportation operation in the history of the United States.
The Republican Platform is aligned with Trump’s campaign promises, who has already promised to be a dictator for just one day, to close the border with Mexico starting at noon on January 20, 2025, if he wins the presidency.
The Republicans also offer to “complete the border wall with Mexico and transfer massive portions of federal law enforcement to immigration forces and use advanced technology to monitor and secure the border. We will use all necessary resources to stop the invasion.”
To do so, they propose strengthening ICE, increasing penalties for illegal entry and expired visas, and will reestablish the “Stay in Mexico” program and other policies such as Title 42. In contrast, Kamala Harris and the Democrats offered to fight for “deserved” immigration reform for millions of undocumented immigrants residing in the United States who contribute to the nation as essential workers, as exemplary students, and as valuable members of their communities.
The differences between the Republican and Democratic positions are clear and obvious. But the final say will be made by the 36 million Hispanics eligible to vote, of whom an estimated 17 million will cast their ballot on November 5.
And every vote counts.
