Politics
Caribbbean American congresswoman welcomes Obama’s stance on immigration reform
Caribbean American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has commended United States President Barack Obama for addressing comprehensive immigration reform in his State of the Union Address Tuesday night. During his address, Obama urged Congress to enact immigration reform that will enable the more than 10 million immigrants without legal status, including Caribbean nationals, to apply for temporary legal status leading to United States citizenship.
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants and represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York said, “A policy of comprehensive immigration reform will also support our economy by preventing the exploitation of workers who lack legal status despite, in some instances, living in the United States for almost their entire lives.”
She also went to state, “With legal status and an opportunity for citizenship, these workers will finally have the ability to benefit from the rights guaranteed to American laborers, and thus become full participants in our civil society.” In fact, Clarke had written to Obama for second time, prior to the State of the Union address, urging him to stop deporting Caribbean and other immigrants.
Clarke, along with Arizona Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva, appealed to the president to “respond to the crisis of deportation in the undocumented community.” They wrote, “As your administration nears an astounding two million deportations, we write again to reiterate our initial request and inquire into additional steps the White House can take to provide relief to the millions of ‘Americans in Waiting’ , who live and work among us.”
Clarke went on to tell CMC that the continued deportation of Caribbean immigrants who lack legal status had resulted in many families being separated. “This policy must end,” she stressed and added that with the US Congress currently debating immigration reform, “the practice of continued deportation risks the very men and women who will have the ability to apply for permanent legal status and citizenship under a new system of immigration.”
Grenadian American New York City Councilman, Jumaane Williams, also lauded Obama’s address, noting that he outlined a “bold, progressive agenda”. Williams, who represents the largely Caribbean 45th Council District in Brooklyn, stated that the agenda “re-focuses the nation’s attention on the need to end income inequality and to ensure increased opportunities for every American, including those who struggle to find work, those who came to the United States in search of a better life, and those who have not reaped the benefits in an economy that continues to leave many behind.”
