Victoria Defrancesco Soto Posts

The Lone Star state jumped into the spotlight this week – a movie-worthy filibuster by Wendy Davis, a flood of demonstrators taking to the capitol, and a ramped up war of words between Texas Republicans and Democrats.

Immigration in America has always maintained the importance of keeping the nuclear family together, but what happens when the tradition of marriage is changing in America to include gay couples? Is there room for a provision in immigration reform to include an immigrant couple's rights to marriage equality?

Last week, a high profile Latino Republican — the former head of Hispanic outreach for Florida’s RNC — publicly left the party. For Pablo Pantoja, the straw that broke the camel’s back, or in this case the elephant’s back, was the Heritage Foundation’s anti-immigrant report and its co-author’s public defense of Latinos as a group having low IQ scores.

A free and fair vote is the bedrock of our political system. Voting is the one instance where all of us no matter how rich or poor, influential or humble are completely equal because there is no cost involved. Voting is the great equalizer, of course, assuming it is free.

However this week the state of Virginia joined a growing number of states that have implemented or are pending implementation of a voting system that taxes voters. In other words, Virginia has implemented a poll tax. Governor Bob McDonnell signed into law a bill that requires voters to present a valid photo identification in order to vote.

On the national stage tea party numbers appear larger than they really are. The House tea party caucus only consists of 49 members. And of the 100 members of the Senate only Paul and Cruz fit the 2010 tea party mold. But, most importantly, American public opinion does not find itself on the extremes.

All politics is local, and if there’s one issue area that brings this home, it’s guns. When it comes to guns and firearm violence, most of the real legislative action will take place in our state capitals, and in some instances our city councils.

Victoria DeFrancesco SotoBoth presidential candidates have been laying it on thick with the ladies. Not that I blame them. We not only out-register and out-vote our male counterparts, we are also multi-issue voters otherwise known as...

Victoria DeFrancesco SotoMichelle Obama campaigns in Florida with DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (Michelle Campaigns image from B...

Victoria DeFrancesco SotoBack in the early 1800s voting on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November made perfect sense.  In those days it was white land-owning men (and later non-land ow...

Victoria DeFrancesco SotoIt was culture shock when this Arizona gal moved to North Carolina in 2000.  The accent, pace of life, and outright friendliness of Southerners shook me, but what most threw me off was the lack of ...

Victoria DeFrancesco Soto

I can’t wrap my head around it.  Why in the world did the President deny deferred actioners coverage under the Affordable Care Act?  It’s puzzling from the legal standpoint; as a result of the President’s executive order the presence of deferred actioners is no longer considered unlawful and lawful aliens are covered under the ACA.  However, it’s even more puzzling from the political standpoint.  By denying this coverage President Obama wasn’t going to win the support of any new folks but has instead further frustrated Latinos.

In June the White House boisterously announced that it would allow undocumented immigrants who met certain criteria to remain in the country.  The deferred action program allows immigrants to shed their unlawful status.  But here is where things get confusing, the deferred action program does not grant lawful status but it does suspend one’s presence from being unlawful, or as the definition from the Department of Homeland Security reads:

“Deferred action does not confer lawful status upon an individual.  In addition, although an individual whose case is deferred will not be considered to be accruing unlawful presence in the United States during the period deferred action is in effect, deferred action does not excuse individuals of any previous or subsequent periods of unlawful presence.”  [underline added for emphasis]

So while you’re not considered a lawful alien if you’re a deferred actioner you’re also not considered to be here unlawfully.  But like other lawful aliens you’re allowed to legally work here because of your eligibility for work authorization.  If you’re not here unlawfully, then shouldn’t that translate into being here lawfully?

The fine print is important here because according to the ACA only American citizens and lawful aliens are eligible for federal health benefits such as Medicaid or federal subsidies for insurance plans.  And to make sure there was no confusion in thinking that someone who is not here unlawfully but not technically a lawful alien and thus ineligible for health insurance coverage the White House announced that deferred actioners are not eligible for coverage under the ACA.  Unlike the Deferred Action announcement, this one came quietly two months afterwards.

Beyond the legal technicalities of the ACA and the Deferred Action plan is the matter of good old-fashioned politics.  What was the president’s strategy here?  Did he think he would win over people who are opposed to illegal immigration?  Did he think that all of those folks who were against the Deferred Action Order would suddenly say, “Oh, hey, the President actually is tough on immigration after all because he denied those kids health insurance, now he has my vote!”  My sense is there aren’t very many folks with that internal dialogue.

The President has not won over any new friends with the denial of coverage for deferred actioners and has ticked off his current friends, Latinos.   Behind closed doors Latinos are suspicious of the timing of the Deferred Action order and frustrated at the lack of action earlier.   And with this denial of coverage under the ACA the President is adding insult to the injury of not taking action earlier.  Had the President allowed deferred actioners to receive health insurance coverage then he would have assuaged Latino skepticism and helped to further mobilize this electorate.

Victoria Defrancesco Soto
Dr. VMDS

Published: Saturday, 22 September 2012

LA Progressive