Immigration Reform in Spotlight as Democrats Open Convention

ARIZONA REPUBLIC 

By Dan Nowicki

September 4, 2012

http://tucsoncitizen.com/arizona-news/2012/09/04/immigration-reform-in-spotlight-as-democrats-open-convention/

Democrats highlighted their commitment to a comprehensive illegal-immigration solution as their national convention got under way Tuesday in this tightly contested state narrowly carried by President Barack Obama four years ago.

First lady Michelle Obama, who talked about her husband and family, headlined the first day of the three-day Democratic National Convention, which culminates Thursday with renomination-acceptance speeches by Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

With a mix of personal anecdotes and policy talk, the first lady's speech was her most political yet.

"Today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are," she said.

She painted a portrait of a leader who has experienced the struggles of everyday Americans, who listens to them as president and who pushes an agenda with their interests in mind.

"That's the man I see in those quiet moments late at night, hunched over his desk, poring over the letters people have sent him," she said. "I see the concern in his eyes --… and I hear the determination in his voice as he tells me, 'You won't believe what these folks are going through, Michelle. It's not right. We've got to keep working to fix this. We've got so much more to do.'"

Earlier in the evening, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro became the first Latino to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention. His remarks included reflections on his family's immigrant roots and America's promise as a land of opportunity.

"Because he knows that we don't have an ounce of talent to waste, the president took action to lift the shadow of deportation from a generation of young, law-abiding immigrants called dreamers," Castro said. "Now, it's time for Congress to enshrine in law their right to pursue their dreams in the only place they've ever called home: America."

Indeed, illegal immigration was an unmistakable theme of the opening night as high-profile Democrats played up their plans and pointed to what they said were extreme Republican views on an issue that could motive Hispanics to go to the polls in November.

The differences were further highlighted by the adoption Tuesday of the party's 2012 platform, which includes a plank backing comprehensive immigration reform while recalling the Obama administration's election-year decision to defer deportation for some potentially Dream Act-eligible undocumented immigrants.

The Dream Act would grant legal status to certain illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

Several speakers on Tuesday praised the Dream Act, which has languished in Congress for years, while casting Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as too tough on the issue of illegal immigration.

One Latino speaker drew boos from the Democratic delegates on the floor of the Time Warner Cable Arena when he mentioned both Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who in 2010 signed the state's controversial Senate Bill 1070 immigration law, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a polarizing figure in the Hispanic community because of his tough-on-illegal-immigration tactics.

The GOP platform adopted last week at the Republican National Convention in Tampa included a plank that encouraged Arizona-style illegal-immigration-enforcement laws, for which Romney has signaled support.

"When it comes to our country's immigration policies, the truth is that Mitt Romney has embraced the racial-profiling policies of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio," said Rep. Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "The truth is he would separate families that have been here for generations. The truth is he has embraced distrust and division at the expense of American values."

Promising the most open and accessible convention in history, the Democrats also reaffirmed their commitment to abortion rights and other women's issues, health-care reform, the auto-industry bailout and gay rights. For the first time, the Democratic platform endorsed same-sex marriage.

The platform represents the inclusiveness of the party, and the platform represents the president's positions and vision, Ben LaBolt, the Obama-Biden campaign's national press secretary, said during a meeting with reporters. The core of the platform is the economy built to last building the economy from the middle class out and how we get there.

The Affordable Care Act, a significant piece of legislation passed during the Obama administration, also was hailed during Tuesday's proceedings. Stacey Lihn, a Phoenix woman whose daughter Zoe was born with a congenital heart defect, told the convention audience about the security and relief that Obama's health-care law gave her family.

"If Mitt Romney becomes president and Obamacare is repealed, there's a good chance she'll hit her lifetime cap," Lihn said. "There's no way we could afford to pay for all the care she needs to survive. When you have a sick child, it's always in the back of your mind and sometimes in the front of your mind."

The party also acknowledged its past leaders. Former President Jimmy Carter addressed the convention via video. The late long-serving Sen. Edward Kennedy, who died in 2009, also was saluted. A montage of video clips from Kennedy's 1994 debate with Romney, who unsuccessfully challenged him in that year's Massachusetts Senate race, delighted the delegates and their guests.

But inside and outside the arena in uptown Charlotte, illegal immigration was a recurring topic. A demonstration by undocumented immigrants near the convention resulted in 10 arrests. At the convention podium, several speakers brought up the Dream Act or Obama's deferred-action announcement.

Last week's Republican convention also featured Latino outreach as part of the programming.

Hispanic Republicans such as New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida got prominent speaking slots. Still, one observer said the two party platforms illustrate a political shift on an issue that didn't always cut neatly along Democratic-vs.-Republican lines.