Frank Sharry
Frank Sharry
Frank Sharry is the founder and executive director of America’s Voice, an immigration reform group...
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The loud voices, punchy arguments and simple headlines from governments, politicians and anti-immigration groups will often be easier to hear. The other side has a harder job, because theirs is the more sophisticated argument, offering humane, progressive and enlightened policies in the midst of an emotional debate.
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I'm disgusted that we are engaged in a blame game. We needed a bill, and we got a food fight.
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No matter what the administration witnesses say, it's going to be revealing. Everyone knows the only way that immigration reform happens is if the president leads on it. And if they come and mouth platitudes and stay vague, it'll be interpreted in both chambers as an abdication of his leadership role.
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Every Western industrialised nation faces the same issues of an ageing society that needs migrants, a sceptical public and some hostile media. In supporting migrants, we do face formidable challenges but I'm still optimistic; we just have to focus on bringing together the needs of our societies and the aspirations of migrant families.
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The Mexican who arrived last month is more often in direct competition with a Mexican who's been here five years than with an African-American who was born here.
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The Minutemen were offensive because they were kind of scary, but no one disagrees with border enforcement, really. It angered some people, but it angered activists. But when Congress said 'You hardworking people, we are going to call you felons,' that really broke through. You were no longer talking about policy, you were talking about who they are, that they are bad people.
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Their painstaking progress on winning Latino voters is in jeopardy because the face of the (Republican) party on this issue is Tom Tancredo. They are caught between their base and their desire to do something reasonable.
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We all know that this issue is so volatile that anything can happen.
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There's lots of signs of the growing drumbeat for reform. We think there is a bipartisan majority with presidential leadership that can actually get across the finish line this session.
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The Sensenbrenner bill has proven to be one of the great mobilizing forces for the pro (immigration) reform alliance in this country.
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But even if we win today, it's only one step. Immigrants pay a lot in taxes and don't get a lot back.
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I'm a little worried that the political momentum that we witnessed this week may dissipate somewhat.
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Obviously, there's tremendous pressure on lawmakers to fix the problem.
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The fact that they're calling a hearing in the midst of their other priorities indicates the chairman's commitment to moving immigration reform as quickly as possible.