We Nominate José Andrés to Congress for This Thoughtful Immigration Op-Ed

Marcy FranklinDec 7th, 2013, 11:17 am

We’re hardpressed to find a more genuine, thoughtful chef out there — and Congressman. JK, we know that there are no genuine, thoughtful Congressmen out there, so we’ll stop trying.

But José Andrés’ op-ed in the Washington Post is most definitely worth a read, even without the gazpacho recipe he includes. Andrés addresses the challenge of the stalled immigration bill to concerned members of Congress, reasoning the moral and political advantages of passing immigration reform. The highlights:

I understand that this is a difficult and complicated issue. But we are not asking for an open-door policy that allows unregulated immigration. Indeed, the bill before Congress would do more to secure our borders than any other law in history. What we’re asking is to give the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are already part of America’s DNA a chance — a chance to prove they are worthy of citizenship; a chance to contribute more to this incredible country; a chance to belong…

If other immigrants had the chance to pursue their dreams … all of America would benefit. As legal residents, immigrants would contribute more in taxes, spend more at our businesses, start companies of their own and create more jobs. Immigration is not a problem for us to solve but an opportunity for America to seize.

And the reason that we believe Andrés deserves a seat in Congress — he actually appeals to the human in Minority Leader John Boehner! Not an easy task.

I don’t envy Speaker John Boehner’s difficult position. I know he loves this country dearly, and I imagine the hopes he had when sweeping the floor of his father’s Cincinnati bar were not so different than those of a young Spanish sailor who believed that if he loved America, America would love him back. All I ask is that he considers the millions of immigrant families who hold those same hopes.

José Andrés 2016.

[Washington Post]