A Good Start to Immigration Reform by Luis Cortes What a victory! Last week, the Obama administration took a very important step forward for young immigrants. President Obama's decision to stop the deportation of undocumented people under the age of 30 who meet certain eligibility criteria and are in school, graduated, or US veterans, will have an immediate impact on almost a million eligible children and young adults. Hundreds of thousands of these young people arrived here through no fault of their own, were raised in the United States, and for all intents and purposes are Americans in their culture, language, and life experience. They are a part of the fabric of our society; they are learning, growing, and contributing to our nation’s prosperity. We applaud President Obama for providing thousands of young people with the opportunity to truly thrive, as a recognized and integrated piece of our country’s vibrant tapestry. This was a decision based in common sense understanding of what will make our families, communities, and country stronger. This action was necessary due to the failure of Congress to pass any kind of immigration reform in the past 12 years, despite the overwhelming support of the public for reform, and many versions of legislation that were drafted and then left by the wayside. But this is just a stop-gap measure, and possibly a fragile one. This measure could be overturned by future administrations if Congress doesn’t move to make it a permanent law. This is unquestionably a victory. But it’s just one piece of a much larger problem. Many more people will continue to suffer while our elected officials stubbornly entrench themselves in their partisan positions and create political gridlock. This announcement should signal the first step of many, to resolve the problems of our broken system holistically and across the board, and to usher in a new day of order, peace, safety, and collective well-being in our great nation of immigrants. We want to acknowledge and thank faith leaders and many others who have labored on behalf of the DREAM Act and for comprehensive reform. Faith communities of all kinds are coming together with overwhelming support for reform. Even today, conservatives and liberals who traditionally don’t see eye to eye can agree on the moral imperative for a new just, compassionate, common sense immigration system. The efforts of the faith community have helped create the supportive space for President Obama to take this action. Now we need to leverage the momentum of this moment to
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continue pressing forward. The fight may begin in earnest, and we need to be ready to respond. Join us, raise your voice, and let’s continue to move forward together! Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr. is president of Esperanza, the premiere Hispanic faith-based network in the country, led by visionary activists and thought leaders who understand the issues impacting Hispanic communities and act from a faith-based perspective. ● ● ● ●
Don’t miss “Out of the Shadows,” PRISM magazine’s coverage of justice advocates’ ongoing push for the DREAM Act. Check out ESA’s immigration reform resources. Join Esperanza’s campaign for immigration reform. Read news coverage of the announcement from CNN.
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