Obama's long immigration betrayal

To understand why these advocates are so hurt and angry, you have to understand the meandering road immigration reform has taken over the course of the last decade—a road littered with false starts, broken promises, and a community repeatedly left in the lurch. Latinos feel that they have been jerked around by politicians who alternately pander for their votes and shunt them aside when their priorities become inconvenient—like now. Obama in particular has made a series of pledges on immigration, only to abandon them all. Now, when the president says he still plans to act—just give him a couple of months—reformers don’t know whether to trust him.

“What next?” said Frank Sharry, head of America’s Voice, who has worked for immigration reform for decades. “Obama makes another promise? It turns out that other justifications for delay emerge post-election?”

In July 2008, Obama, then a presidential candidate, spoke to the National Council of La Raza at its annual conference in San Diego. “I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time for a president who won’t walk away from something as important as comprehensive reform just because it becomes politically unpopular,” he said. “That’s the commitment I am making to you, and I will make it a priority in my first year as president.”