EDITORIAL

Editorial: The Time For Immigration Reform Has Come.

Congress is given a chance to prove that it can fix the country’s failed immigration policies.

LA Times Editorial

March 11, 2013

Roughly eleven million immigrants are now living illegally across the United States.  A recent study suggests that more than half a million are in California. Many sneak past the border, however, almost half them enter legally and proceed to overstay the duration of their visa.

Many believe these people should be sent back to their home countries, but this view is slowly changing. After an overwhelming Democratic vote in the Latino population, more prominent figures in the Republican Party are willing to cooperate in reform.  Therefore, a permanent solution should entail policies that members of both major parties can agree on.

While deportation has reached record levels, a mass exodus seems unlikely and detrimental to the country’s economy, because people without proper documentation perform jobs that Americans are often unwilling to do in the agricultural industries.

Immigrant labor doesn’t simply pertain to field labor either. Talented individuals from abroad continue to be the driving forces behind large companies such as Google and Yahoo. Therefore, lawmakers should draft more inclusive paths to citizenship and thereby make an impact on a larger population of immigrants that are assets to the country’s economy.  Immigrants not already on the path to citizenship could work, take the time to learn English and earn probationary status as they try to secure their place in the line for citizenship.

Furthermore, it’s time to recognize the children of illegal immigrants who have demonstrated excellent moral character. The bipartisan DREAM Act [Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors] has lingered in Congress since 2001.

These DREAM-ers were brought to the United States as children through no fault of their own and for a large number of them, the United States is the only home they have ever known. They should be allowed to attend universities, join the military and become productive citizens.

Lawmakers must realize that the impact of their policies not only affects immigrants, but citizens as well. Therefore, they must prepare for a long process in immigration reform, and for once, head down a bipartisan path towards on one of the biggest issues of our time.

david.garyan@gmail.com