The need for an immigration reform comes back to Congress.
Photo by Rebecca Holt
Immigration. It is an issue that keeps resurrecting itself in the Latino and Mexican American community. Many people don’t understand that an official immigration reform decision from congress can affect up to 12 million undocumented people living on this side of the U.S. Mexican border.
When attending the Youth Organizing Training alongside CIRC (Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition) I learned that many of the people with whom I constantly interact are at risk of losing their legal citizenship status due to an immigration reform that congress has been promising for the past 20 years. What do you do when you’ve lived in Colorado for 25 years, and out of nowhere ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers are waiting at your front door, a retaining order in hand, all because of a little piece of paper with a nine digit number? Just like a social security number benefits people, the lack of one is an obstacle for all working immigrant families.
I know about this because a similar situation happened to my family. My uncle, to be specific (a single dad for three children), was thrown out of the U.S.A. during the SWIFT plant raid in Greeley. My uncle was deported because he was working illegally. He never got a chance to say goodbye to his children, who are underage U.S. citizens, and are unable to go to Mexico and see their dad. Now his three kids are constantly moving in with different relatives since their father is no longer able to care for them. Authorities don’t understand the damage they are doing to many families across the U.S.
During the trainings we heard the stories of more than 20 people, and they all had one thing in common: the decisions of the government authorities have a huge impact on the Latino families. Having a comprehensive immigration reform will bring families and communities together, and bring that sense of security back to these people. The system we have today is clearly not working; it is a system with many gaps and holes leading to an unfair treatment of migrant families.
CIRC (Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition) and many other organizations are dedicating time and effort to this cause. They want people to know that there is hope for a reform, but that it will take work. The involvement of all communities affected by this is a must. It’s not only a Latino problem; it’s a Middle Eastern, Asian, and American problem, as well. We live in a variegated mosaic of cultures, and signaling out these problems to one specific group is ignorance.
The CIR (Comprehensive Immigration Reform) Bill will work to give all these people a comprehensive way to stay in the United States, allowing them to work and go to college legally. Students with 4.0s and great test scores have had to give up their dreams because they were not able to afford the out-of-state tuition with no financial aid. The CIR Bill is an opportunity for equality for the people who have lived in the U.S. to receive the same opportunities as its citizens. CIR is not a way to legalize all immigrants, but a reform that will make current laws adjustable to those in need.
Many complain that the reform will lead immigrants stealing American jobs, but these are jobs that Americans don’t want anyway. Many of these people just want an opportunity to work legally, without the worry of ICE raids and deportations.
The Youth Organizing Training was an opportunity for people to be involved. It was the starting point to organize attention and support towards the reform. From the trainings many events will take place in order to let the urgency for a reform be known.
The trainings were the starting point for community organizing. The students from the training want to promote the benefits that this will have. If the reform passes the Congress vote, the impact on society will be incredible.
