Friday, March 26, 2010

Real immigration reform, now

(Posted By Uriel Rivera)

Until President Obama gave his State of the Union speech in January, immigration advocates, Latino leaders and millions who voted for him based on his promise to push for comprehensive reform were hopeful that he would soon lead the charge on the issue. They waited while the economic crisis demanded the president's attention, as did the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then came healthcare reform, and more waiting.

But when the best Obama could do was to pay lip service to immigration reform in his speech -- just 36 words making no specific promises, saying only that the country must secure its borders and ensure that "people who play by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation" -- advocates decided it was time to change tactics. No more waiting.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of people are expected to converge on the National Mall to demand action in Congress and personal leadership from the president. More than 800 buses from 33 states are en route to the March for America; other marchers are carpooling or traveling by plane. A delegation from New York is walking. Many are United States citizens -- the children, spouses and co-workers of undocumented immigrants -- and alongside them will be immigration advocates, members of labor unions and representatives of dozens of faith organizations and civil rights groups.


http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-immigration20-2010mar20,0,6276696.story

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