Editorial:

Nelson Balido, a voting member of the Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences who attended the Latin Grammy Awards this past week, stated in a commentary his extreme frustration with Univision for preempting those evenings’ proceedings with the President’s televised speech on immigration.

Mr. Balido was upset that, a) he was forced to sit and watch the speech, b) that the Univision audience was not the “target audience,” c) it didn’t make sense that the Latin Grammy’s were preempted, and d) that focusing on immigration was detracting from much more important issues affecting the Hispanic community.

La Prensa takes issue with the last part of Nelson Balido statement that; the issue of immigration has become all-consuming to the point it reduces to non-issues all other issues relevant to the Hispanic community. Nelson Balido further stated that, “The Spanish-language media in this country would better serve its viewers and news consumers if it offered a wider breadth of coverage in both subject matter and opinion.”

While La Prensa won’t debate the issue of Univision preempting their regular television schedule; we assume ratings concerns prompted that decision. Nor will we debate guests at the Latin Grammy’s having to sit through the political speech on the immigration issue.

However, La Prensa has to take issue with Mr. Balido’s statement that; immigration has become all-consuming to the determent of all other issues affecting the Hispanic community.

While it might be true that immigration is not the top concern of U.S. born Mexican-Americans/Hispanics citizens and legal resident’s, the immigration issue as has been pointed out by various polls and surveys, is one of the most discussed and pressing policy issues confronting U.S. society and obviously the Hispanic community. To the nation’s 12 million undocumented workers, and there extended families (many of them U.S. born Hispanics and legal resident’s), immigration is their number one issue! La Prensa views the immigration issue for this nation’s 55 million Hispanics as a “litmus test” that determines where politician stands in regards to our peoples interests!

Historically every other ethnic group in our nation’s history has had a “litmus test.” Example the Jewish community’s political “litmus test” to politicians is; are you pro or anti-Israel? How those politicians respond determines whether support is granted or denied, and more importantly how those politicians will serve the interest of the Jewish community.

For better or worse, for the Hispanic community immigration (aside from all other issues) is our litmus test. A politician’s position on immigration, for stricter border security, or fair and honest comprehensive immigration reform for 12 million undocumented workers (and their families) will dictate how those politicians will vote on our other pressing issues that affect this nation’s Hispanics. Their response also dictates how and for whom Hispanic voter will vote for. A prime example of this is President Obama. When President Obama first ran for office and declared that the immigration issue would be addressed and resolved, he received overwhelming Hispanic support at the polls. After he delayed for 6 years and placed the immigration issue on the back burner, at the recent November elections Hispanic stayed home, did not vote and the Democratic Party lost the election!

So Mr. Balido, in response to your statements; yes immigration is that important of an issue. Why because it provides Hispanics succinct pictures of what politicians are our friends and foes, and more importantly how all of the other issues affecting our community will be addressed and resolved!