Immigration Reform – Making It Happen — Now
Fair Immigration Reform. Not just comprehensive.
No hiding our joy at the election results. Good stuff on so many fronts. For gay and lesbian individuals, there is great promise. For immigrants, gay, straight, poor, brown, black or white, there is much to be joyful about. And much to demand. After delivering a solid and unmistakable call to our national government, immigration reform must happen now. We’ve been here long enough to know not to get our hopes up. Realism is what immigration law is all about. But now all the ingredients are here for reform. To be sure, we don’t need just comprehensive immigration reform. What we need is fair immigration reform. Real rules that make real sense when applied to real people.
Our nation’s patchwork of immigration policies and procedures needs an overhaul to offer aspiring Americans a chance to make a better life for their families, and to ensure that the economy benefits fully from the contributions of new and aspiring Americans. Earlier this year, through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative, President Obama offered young immigrants a chance to come out of the shadows on a temporary basis and build a better future for themselves through school and hard work. However, this initiative was always intended to be a stop-gap measure and our country desperately needs a real, permanent solution.
“We know that there are conflicting priorities and many challenges facing our nation. However, bipartisan immigration reform is not just another issue or cause. These are real people who are faced with a process that is beyond broken, made up of outdated regulations and nonsensical policies. President Obama, we ask that you offer a roadmap for new Americans that reflects our country’s values and interests, and the spirit with which our nation was built,” said AILA President Laura Lichter.
These are President Obama’s words: “The idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.” Let’s make it happen.