Phoenix, Arizona (CNN) -- Jorge Ramos has been the face of Univision's News broadcast for 24 years. The program's estimated audience of more than 2 million viewers exceeds most English language news broadcasts. Ramos is also a best-selling author of 10 books. His latest is "A Country for All: An Immigrant Manifesto."
CNN spoke to him in Phoenix where he was covering Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB1070:
CNN: You came to the United States as an immigrant yourself. What is your story?
Jorge Ramos: Well I was working as a journalist in Mexico, and one day when I was very young out of college they censored one of the stories that I was doing on the president of the country. And back then I was very idealistic -- and I still am -- and I decided to quit. I quit my job in Mexico. I sold my car for $2,000, got a student visa and came to the United States. And it was supposed to be for only one year, that was January 2, 1983, and that year has become 27 years. So this country gave me the opportunities that my country of origin, Mexico, couldn't give me.
CNN: How were you able to stay in this country on a student visa?
JR: The student visa became a work permit. With the work permit I started working as a reporter in Los Angeles and then after being a few years in Los Angeles I became at 28 the anchorman for Univision news.
CNN: You have written 10 books in your time here, often focusing on Latinos. But why immigration? Why now?
JR: It's a book on the urgent need to have immigration reform. As we can see what happened in Arizona [the overturning of parts of SB 1070] it's a step in the right direction for Latinos and immigrants, but it's simply not enough. Things are exactly the same as two weeks ago or two months ago or two years ago or even 20 years ago because we still have 11 million people in the U.S. without any rights whatsoever. It's really incredible that the most powerful country in the world is treating 11 million people as second-class citizens or second-class human beings.
CNN: You're getting a lot of criticism with this book not for criticizing the conservatives who are targeting immigrants, rather for accusing President Obama of breaking a campaign promise. Please explain this.
JR: Yea, when Barack Obama was running for president he told Univision in an interview that he was going to have an immigration bill during his first year in office. It was an important promise because back then Barack Obama was trying to the get the Democratic nomination against Hilary Clinton. Hillary Clinton had promised that she was going to do it during the first 100 days. Anyway, Latinos believed Barack Obama; 67 percent of Latinos voted for Barack Obama and at the end President Barack Obama didn't keep his promise. He broke a promise.
So, Obama broke his promise, Democrats don't have the political will to push for immigration reform right now and Republicans are missing in action during immigration. Nobody is really doing anything for immigrants right now.
The face of Univision talks about immigration - CNN.com
I rest my case.........
CNN spoke to him in Phoenix where he was covering Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB1070:
CNN: You came to the United States as an immigrant yourself. What is your story?
Jorge Ramos: Well I was working as a journalist in Mexico, and one day when I was very young out of college they censored one of the stories that I was doing on the president of the country. And back then I was very idealistic -- and I still am -- and I decided to quit. I quit my job in Mexico. I sold my car for $2,000, got a student visa and came to the United States. And it was supposed to be for only one year, that was January 2, 1983, and that year has become 27 years. So this country gave me the opportunities that my country of origin, Mexico, couldn't give me.
CNN: How were you able to stay in this country on a student visa?
JR: The student visa became a work permit. With the work permit I started working as a reporter in Los Angeles and then after being a few years in Los Angeles I became at 28 the anchorman for Univision news.
CNN: You have written 10 books in your time here, often focusing on Latinos. But why immigration? Why now?
JR: It's a book on the urgent need to have immigration reform. As we can see what happened in Arizona [the overturning of parts of SB 1070] it's a step in the right direction for Latinos and immigrants, but it's simply not enough. Things are exactly the same as two weeks ago or two months ago or two years ago or even 20 years ago because we still have 11 million people in the U.S. without any rights whatsoever. It's really incredible that the most powerful country in the world is treating 11 million people as second-class citizens or second-class human beings.
CNN: You're getting a lot of criticism with this book not for criticizing the conservatives who are targeting immigrants, rather for accusing President Obama of breaking a campaign promise. Please explain this.
JR: Yea, when Barack Obama was running for president he told Univision in an interview that he was going to have an immigration bill during his first year in office. It was an important promise because back then Barack Obama was trying to the get the Democratic nomination against Hilary Clinton. Hillary Clinton had promised that she was going to do it during the first 100 days. Anyway, Latinos believed Barack Obama; 67 percent of Latinos voted for Barack Obama and at the end President Barack Obama didn't keep his promise. He broke a promise.
So, Obama broke his promise, Democrats don't have the political will to push for immigration reform right now and Republicans are missing in action during immigration. Nobody is really doing anything for immigrants right now.
The face of Univision talks about immigration - CNN.com
I rest my case.........
