Obama Has Delivered a Change For the Worse

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) describes himself as the first Latino member of Congress to support Obama's candidacy, who campaigned for Obama coast to coast. When he started out with Obama, he says, "it was hard for me to imagine a time I would have to say no to Barack Obama when he asked me for support." But, he writes, "last week, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus sat down with the President, and he asked us to vote for the health care reform bill — a bill that denies immigrants the opportunity to purchase health care with their own money. It was one more in a string of disappointments for the Hispanic community, and today, I no longer find myself able to confidently say 'yes' when President Obama asks me for his support."

Gutierrez recalls Obama's promises to fight for the Hispanic community, and not to walk away when things got tough. But now, says Gutierrez, "Barack Obama has delivered 'change.' It's been a change for the worse." When Obama talks about universal health care, "'universal' means everyone but immigrants, who are denied even the opportunity to pay into the system, to demonstrate their commitment to a healthier America, to access care anywhere but the emergency room at the greatest expense to us all."

He notes that, despite all his promises, Obama has deported more undocumented immigrants than did George W. Bush, and declares that "this Administration's action on comprehensive immigration reform can be fairly summarized with one word: nothing."

Gutierrez notes this coming Sunday, March 21, "tens of thousands of frustrated and impatient people will march on Washington to tell Congress and the President that they have not forgotten the promises that were made to them about immigration reform."