Sandra

Here is a report on a patient at CitySquare's Community Health Services medical clinic:  

Sandra was referred to CitySquare several years ago from the ER at Baylor.  She was treated here and has great health now.  

She volunteered as a translator for our cooking classes and everyone loved her.  The cooking class coordinator wanted to steal her from us.  

Sandra  is one of those young people brought by her parents to the US for a better life.  She attended school and really did well.  She went to school to be a medical assistant and her dream is to be a registered nurse.  She however did not have permission to work in the US and was not eligible for scholarships or loans for college.  She was stuck and unable to progress or work legally.

In the last year there have been changes to the rules affecting people in her situation.  She quickly applied for the Dream Act and completed all the necessary paperwork to get a work permit in the US.  We wrote letters of recommendation for her as we knew her as patient and as a volunteer.  

About a month ago she returned to the clinic to show me her Permission to work ID.  She said the next day she was going to get a driver’s license.  As she sat in my office, she began to cry.  I asked what the matter was and she said I just can’t believe all my dreams are coming true. I have waited so long with no hope,  now everything is changing so fast and it is all good.

She applied for a job at Baylor at our encouragement and she was hired for a full time position.  She will, after a period of time, be able to continue her education with the support of the tuition reimbursement program Baylor has for employees.  We are so proud of what she has accomplished.

Immigration Reform in Committee

The U. S. Senate Judiciary Committee leads the current discussion regarding immigration reform.  To see a listing of the committee members click here.

The 18 members of this committee are considering possible amendments to the bipartisan “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” that was introduced a few weeks ago.  

The amendment process is incredibly important: it provides the opportunity to make improvements to the bill before it goes to a vote, but it also provides an opportunity to introduce elements to a carefully negotiated compromise bill that could cause bipartisan support to be limited going forward.

If one of your senators is a member of this committee, I urge you to contact him/her and express your support for comprehensive immigration reform, and ask that it be wrapped up this coming summer for the sake of the millions of people who are adversely affected by current policies.  

So many of our neighbors need the relief that strong reform would provide.  

Monica

Many readers will remember the saga of Monica and Jose.  She's been my friend since she was about 5-years-old!

If you need a refresher, just type Monica into the search tool on this page and you can read past posts.  The following message came to me on March 21.  

What joyous news for this great young woman and her family!

Our struggle has been more than worth it.  It is an example of community work at its very best and highest expression

Now we need to direct our attention to the work of comprehensive immigration reform, including passage of the DREAM Act.  

Dear family and friends,

I am happy to announce that I am now DACAmented :D  (DACA documented... get it?)

I am happy to announce that I have been approved for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which means my deportation proceedings have been closed and I am now like any other DREAMer without the fear of being in deportation proceedings again. Based on this new program I am able to attain a work permit that will be valid for a period of two years and may be renewed, and I am currently working on the process of attaining my driver's license.

I would like to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for all of your support, blessings, prayers and presence in mine and my family's life, we are so grateful to know such wonderful people.  What I have today would not be if it wasn't for all of y'all help. I will keep you updated and please let me know if there is anything I can do to give back.

Much Love,

Monica Ibarra

P.S. Alan (my youngest brother) is currently awaiting approval of his DACA application. We will keep you updated on that too.  

______________________

Throughout Monica's entire ordeal, her attorney, Liz Cedillo-Pereira stood by her, fought for her, counseled her and prayed for her and all of us.  Here's what Liz sent to Monica upon receiving the great news:

I like that phrase "DACAmented!"

And, I am so very proud and happy for you.  Your life has enriched my own.  And, I have no doubt that this valley you have walked in since 2009 will be used as a testament to the unbreakable sprit and determination of a young woman named Monica Ibarra.  You know that God has His hand on you and called you to service and I can only imagine all the great things that are in store for you and our world because of you in it.

You will always be in my heart and Ms. Helen's. 

Love,  

Liz

An important, timely conversation

Jim Wallis and Lisa Sharon Harper are friends. 

Their conversation is enlightening and most important.

 We all need to get involved for the sake of our neighbors who have become our dear friends.

 

Immigration Reform: An Overview from Mother Jones

What's Happening With Immigration Reform, Explained

From the Gang of Eight to "the back of the line," here's a quick primer on the latest congressional battle.

By Ian Gordon on Tue. January 29, 2013 10:23 AM PDT

In the wake of a presidential campaign that saw Mitt Romney popularize the term "self-deportation" and President Obama clobber his rival among Latino and Asian American voters, Obama and the Senate's bipartisan Gang of Eight have announced the broad strokes of their respective immigration reform plans, which aim to deal with the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. We put together this primer to help you follow the debate now brewing.

What is "comprehensive immigration reform"? For years, this expression has been code for an immigration compromise. It would include tougher border enforcement (more Border Patrol agents, fencing, etc.), while also proposing a path to citizenship for the undocumented immigrants already here. Guest worker programs are often the third prong, in theory providing a legal way for foreign workers to fill temporary jobs in the US.

As my colleague Adam Serwer pointed out, Obama's plan makes no mention of a guest worker program, while the proposal put forward by the Gang of Eight—Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)—calls for a "humane and effective system" for "immigrant workers to enter the country and find employment without seeking the aid of human traffickers or drug cartels."

Wait, didn't we already have immigration reform in the mid-'80s? Well, yes. There were more than 3 million undocumented immigrants in the United States when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which sought to strike a balance among employer sanctions, border enforcement, and legalization. Its failures—the sanctions were largely toothless, and the legalization program was opaque and inefficient—in many ways have colored the reform debate to this day. (See: the amnesty crowd.)

According to Donald M. Kerwin (PDF) of the Migration Policy Institute, a DC-based nonprofit, even though "millions of persons with approved petitions…languished for years in unauthorized status" due to a lumbering federal bureaucracy, IRCA lowered the undocumented population of the United States by 1.8 million to 3 million people. The rise of that population in the 1990s and early aughts, Kerwin wrote, "can also be attributed in part to the failure of US legal immigration policies—which IRCA left almost entirely intact—to meet US labor market needs during these years. It also can be attributed to inconsistent enforcement of the employer verification laws and to flaws in the employer verification regime that make it difficult to detect when unauthorized workers present the legitimate documents of others."

And didn't we try again in 2007? Great memory! George W. Bush pushed hard for immigration reform during his second term, but the bill never got past the Senate. This New York Times roundup captures both sides pretty well: Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a staunch reform opponent, claimed that supporters wanted to pass the bill "before Rush Limbaugh could tell the American people what was in it." Meanwhile, a defeated Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) lamented, "The situation is going to get worse and worse and worse."

What do both sides agree on this time around? There's no way any deal gets done without more border enforcement (see below), so that's a starting point. Additionally, lawmakers have added Romney's plan to "staple a green card" to the diplomas of immigrants receiving advanced degrees in science, math, engineering, and technology at American universities. And the DREAM Act, first introduced more than a decade ago, finally seems to have bipartisan support. (The act offers a path to legal status for young people whose parents brought them here illegally as children.)

What are the stickiest points? Under the Senate's plan, immigrants won't be able to seek legal residency until border security has been achieved. (There's still confusion over the role and power of the proposed Southwestern border commission, which would include border hawks like Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.) Also, guest worker programs have traditionally been opposed by labor unions. On top of that, Obama's push to grant gay and lesbian couples the same immigration rights as heterosexual couples has already been met with opposition from Republicans; at a January 30 event, McCain said: "Which is more important: LGBT or border security? I'll tell you what my priorities are. If you're going to load it up with social issues, that is the best way to derail it, in my view."

Just to clarify: Don't we already spend tons to secure the border? Sure do. Customs and Border Protection had a budget of $11.7 billion last year, $3.5 billion of that for the Border Patrol. As the Washington Post reporter (and Mother Jones alum!) Suzy Khimm pointed out yesterday, the United States has surpassed the border security requirements from the failed 2007 reform plan. Nowadays, we have 21,444 agents working the border, some 8,500 more than in 2007. Notably, 2011 saw the fewest Border Patrol apprehensions since 1971 (340,252)—at a whopping cost to taxpayers of $10,431 per apprehension—four times as much as in 2007.

To read on click here!

Jose and hope

My dear friend and DREAM Act student/child, Jose Ibarra sent me the following note last week.  Jose, like hundreds of thousands of children brought to the U. S. by their parents without proper documentation through no fault of their own, now lives in Mexico after his deportation.  The small town in which he resides has been a strange place for him.  He has suffered a number of real challenges. 

In his note he describes his hopes and dreams to return to the only "native land" he's ever known.  Jose, like thousands of young people like him, needs to be given the chance to return to this country and make his contribution, a contribution I guarantee he will make if given the opportunity. 

Pray for Jose.

Write your member of Congress and your two Senators today on behalf of Jose.  Ask them to support efforts to pass the DREAM Act today.  Then, encourage them to back comprehensive immigration reform NOW!

Hi Mr Larry,

I know it's been a wile since the last time I emailed you, but I hope you understand my sad situation.

I'm emailing you to let you know that I still remember y'all and to let you know that my wife came to visit me on August! She came here for a few days but as of this year sofar, those were the best  days I've ever lived here in Mexico. I also want you to know that my wife has an important meeting with immigration in October 23rd @ 8:30am. The meeting will be about the I-130, to see if they approve it or not! We've been praying hard for it to get approved so that our nightmare ends already. I will be keeping you posted of any news that I receive so be aware :)

I hope you and your family are doing well as I am too.

Sincerely,

Jose I.

please excuse typos, if any...

        Mr. Jose I.

[To learn more about the saga of Jose and his cousin, Monica, type their names into the search tool for this blog page.]

Immigration policy change to protect children/youth (rerpise)

This report hit the news last Friday.  When I read it, I thought of all of the children and youth we know who will be protected by this sensible policy change.  What do you think?

U.S. Will Give Immunity to Some Young Illegal Migrants
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) —

The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies.

The policy change, described to The Associated Press by two senior administration officials, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. It also bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the so-called DREAM Act, a long-sought but never enacted plan to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who have attended college or served in the military.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was to announce the new policy Friday, one week before President Barack Obama plans to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' annual conference in Orlando, Fla. Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak to the group on Thursday.

Obama planned to discuss the new policy Friday afternoon from the White House Rose Garden.

Under the administration plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed. The officials who described the plan spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it in advance of the official announcement.

The policy will not lead toward citizenship but will remove the threat of deportation and grant the ability to work legally, leaving eligible immigrants able to remain in the United States for extended periods. It tracks closely to a proposal offered by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as an alternative to the DREAM Act.

"Many of these young people have already contributed to our country in significant ways," Napolitano wrote in a memorandum describing the administration's action. "Prosecutorial discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here."

The extraordinary move comes in an election year in which the Hispanic vote could be critical in swing states like Colorado, Nevada and Florida. While Obama enjoys support from a majority of Hispanic voters, Latino enthusiasm for the president has been tempered by the slow economic recovery, his inability to win congressional support for a broad overhaul of immigration laws and by his administration's aggressive deportation policy. Activists opposing his deportation policies last week mounted a hunger strike at an Obama campaign office in Denver, and other protests were planned for this weekend.

The change is likely to cause an outcry from congressional Republicans, who are sure to perceive Obama's actions as an end run around them.

To read the entire report click here. 

Immigration policy change to protect children/youth

This report hit the news last Friday.  When I read it, I thought of all of the children and youth we know who will be protected by this sensible policy change.  What do you think?

U.S. Will Give Immunity to Some Young Illegal Migrants
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) —

The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies.

The policy change, described to The Associated Press by two senior administration officials, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. It also bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the so-called DREAM Act, a long-sought but never enacted plan to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who have attended college or served in the military.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was to announce the new policy Friday, one week before President Barack Obama plans to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' annual conference in Orlando, Fla. Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak to the group on Thursday.

Obama planned to discuss the new policy Friday afternoon from the White House Rose Garden.

Under the administration plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed. The officials who described the plan spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it in advance of the official announcement.

The policy will not lead toward citizenship but will remove the threat of deportation and grant the ability to work legally, leaving eligible immigrants able to remain in the United States for extended periods. It tracks closely to a proposal offered by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as an alternative to the DREAM Act.

"Many of these young people have already contributed to our country in significant ways," Napolitano wrote in a memorandum describing the administration's action. "Prosecutorial discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here."

The extraordinary move comes in an election year in which the Hispanic vote could be critical in swing states like Colorado, Nevada and Florida. While Obama enjoys support from a majority of Hispanic voters, Latino enthusiasm for the president has been tempered by the slow economic recovery, his inability to win congressional support for a broad overhaul of immigration laws and by his administration's aggressive deportation policy. Activists opposing his deportation policies last week mounted a hunger strike at an Obama campaign office in Denver, and other protests were planned for this weekend.

The change is likely to cause an outcry from congressional Republicans, who are sure to perceive Obama's actions as an end run around them.

To read the entire report click here. 

Jose in Mexico

If you've been reading here for very long, you've "met" Jose. If you've been around for several years, you'll remember how Jose and his cousin, Monica, while high school students, were picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to be deported to Mexico. Jose and Monica have been through a lot. Their status and situation call for passage of the DREAM Act. Brought to the United States by their parents as minors, they, and countless other young persons, face deportation every day.

Several weeks ago, my friend Jose journeyed back to Mexico by order of the immigration court here in Dallas.

Jose knew no one really when he left home here in the U. S. He managed to arrange for housing in the home of a relative he doesn't really know. The small town where he "lives" offers no employment options, no higher education, no real community life that he feels apart of.

What is very present every day in this fine young man's life is danger.

Here's an email message that I received just last week from Jose:

Good morning Mr James, I was only contacting you to let you know that yesterday March 1st I got beat up when I was on my way to one of my uncles house I had only been driving less than 5 minutes away from home and I got stopped by a truck and four guys started hitting me and warn me not to mess with them and that I didn't know who they where. The good thing is that I'm fine and at home thank God. Ill keep you updated of my situation. Jose

Jose sent me these two photos documenting the assault that he described in  his message to me. 

I'm not understanding the policy of our nation when it comes to fine young people like my good friend, Jose. 

Pray for Jose.

Research the DREAM Act. 

Contact your congressional leaders and the President. 

Speak up for passage of the DREAM Act, as well as comprehensive immigration reform.  I don't think the average American understands what is going on around these important issues. 

[To read more on this site about Jose and his struggle over the past several years use the search tool on the  page or for starters read the entries for these dates:  3/11/07, 3/13/07, 4/13/07,7/16/07, 7/19/07, 10/25/07, 1/4/08, 3/3/08, 4/21/09, 8/19/11, 8/21/11, 8/23/11, 10,17,11.]

We're better than this. . .

To say again that the U. S. needs comprehensive immigration reform is beyond question.  However, when you understand the "on the ground" realities for families and communities, the game changes.  We can do so much better than this.  Have we forgotten who we are as a people?  Can we so easily turn our backs on our history and heritage?  I am ashamed. 
How about you?

Study: 5,100 Kids in Foster Care After Parents Deported
November 3, 2011, 2:01 pm ET by Gretchen Gavett

“Even if the [immigration] law is executed with perfection, there will be parents separated from their children,” White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz told us when we interviewed for her our recent film Lost in Detention.

And while she stressed that the solution is comprehensive immigration reform, a new report from the Applied Research Center [ARC], which advocates for immigration reform, has found that, in the meantime, an increasing number of children are being placed into foster care when a parent is deported.

At least 5,100 children in 22 states are currently in foster care, and if the current pace of deportations continues, ARC expects that number to rise to 15,000 children in the next five years. Nearly 397,000 people were deported in fiscal year 2011 — up from more than 392,000 in 2010. Since Obama took office, his administration has deported more than a million people.

The record number of deportations is in part attributed to federal-local partnership programs like Secure Communities and 287(g), which track the immigration status of people booked in jails across the country. According to ARC, foster care children in counties participating in 287(g) are 29 percent more likely to have parent who has been detained or deported.

This trend worries some, including Lake County, Ill., Sheriff Mark Curran, who was an initial . . .

To read entire report click here.

Justice and Mercy

The nightmare is back.

If you follow this page, you may remember the stories I've posted about Monica and Jose, cousins and the children of twin brothers who came to the U. S. when their children were very young.  No one in the family possessed the proper documentation when they crossed the border into this country, including the children. 

To read more about Monica and Jose click here and here.   You might also use this page's search feature to read other posts on this situation and about the need for immigration reform by entering "Monica." 

Just yesterday, these wonderful young people received a notice to appear for deportation on Monday. 

Both are model adults.  Monica has continued on in college.  Jose has never been in any trouble.  And now, or so it seems, they will be taken into custody and sent back to Mexico where they have no real connections. 

The past 24 hours have involved us in a campaign to move our political leaders to intervene on the behalf of these wonderful young people. 

They are not the kind of people who need to be shipped away out of the country. 

U. S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, one of our members of Congress here in Dallas, has been lobbying hard on behalf of Monica and Jose, for which we are most grateful.  We've been on the phones working to gain support for the cause of these two amazing people.

But, it may not be enough.

It makes no sense whatsoever.

Since the DREAM Act stalled yet again in the Congress, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have adopted a much harsher enforcement policy toward all undocumented persons, including students who are an asset to their communities here in the U. S. The plight of Monica and Jose serves as a case in point. 

All of us who know Monica and Jose have been very distraught by this latest development.  My family has shed many tears for our dear friends, both the children and their parents.

Last night a bit of light broke, almost miraculously. 

No, that's not right, the timing was beyond miraculous. 

A report in The New York Times and published in today's editions of The Dallas Morning News described President Obama's executive order to ICE instructing the agency to end deportations of students who pose no threat to the safety of their communities or the nation.  Further, ICE will now be reevaluating thousands of cases that involve children and youth like my dear friends, Monica and Jose. 

While it may still not end well on Monday, the President's action gives us hope.  I'm grateful for him.

What's needed in the case of people like my two young friends will not be supplied by law. 

What's needed here is justice and mercy.

Please pray for both.

John Lewis on the DREAM Act

Civil rights icon and U. S. Congressman from Georgia, John Lewis expressed his strong convictions about the DREAM Act this week:

D.R.E.A.M. Act: The Time is Now!

Watch this very helpful video to understand more about the D.R.E.A.M. Act and its current status. Millions of young people need the protection provided by this bi-partisan legislation.

Watch and tell me what you think.

DREAM Act reappears--CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY!

For several years we've been working to promote passage of the Develop-ment, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM. Act) which would grant legal status to children of undocumented immigrants who entered the U. S. with their parents as minors. 

A new twist in the proposed bill's current status involved the U. S. Department of Defense.  Pentagon leaders have included the DREAM Act in their latest strategic plan for military operations.  To see the plan go here, paying particular attention to section 2.1.1. 

Senate Majority Leader Reid will bring up the DREAM Act as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill this week. The amendment needs the support from Texas Senators, since 12 percent of individuals who will benefit from the DREAM Act live in Texas. Senator Hutchison's vote is crucial to make the DREAM Act a reality. Possibly now that the U. S. Military has documented its support for the bill, even Senator Cornyn might be convinced. 

Julieta Garibay, who holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas added, "Senator Hutchison knows the right thing to do. She voted with us in 2007, and we ask her to vote with us again on Tuesday."

If you live in Texas, call Senator Hutchison (202-224-5922) and Senator Cornyn (202-224-2934) to express your support.  If you live outside Texas, call your two senators today as well.  You'll  find their phone numbers here.

For a helpful summary of the DREAM Act and its importance in American life check out this editorial in the Silicon Valley Mercury News published on September 16, 2010.

Another DREAM Act story. . .

Why would we deny productive students a place in our national community? 

Why would we squander such resources? 

Why would we abandon someone in whom we all have invested so much? 

Consider this story. . .

IN MANY WAYS, Eric Balderas's story is the typical American dream. He came to the United States with his parents at age 4. He was the valedictorian of Highlands High School in San Antonio and was admitted to Harvard's class of 2013. There, he studies molecular and cellular biology and is about to begin his sophomore year. He dreams of helping to find a cure for cancer.


To read the rest of Eric Baldera's story click here. 

UT President supports passage of DREAM Act

This just in from University Leadership Initiative: 

PRESS RELEASE
August, 9, 2010
Contact:  Julieta Garibay
University Leadership Initiative
512-297-9417

University of Texas President Supports the DREAM Act

Austin, TX -- University of Texas President William Powers is one of the newest university presidents who has made public his support for the DREAM Act. With President Obama's visit to UT, the University Leadership Initiative (ULI) hopes President Obama takes note of how the DREAM Act would help meet our nation's higher education goals.

Under the headline UT Support for the DREAM Act, President Bill Powers reiterates his support for the legislation and those it would benefit. President Powers stated:

"If Texas educates these young people, it should provide them with access to legal employment. At UT, we support the goal of our graduates having the opportunity to put their education to work on behalf of our state and our nation."

According to a recent report from the Migration Policy Institute 258,000 individuals in Texas would benefit from the DREAM Act.

"We thank President Powers for his support of the legislation," said Julieta Garibay, a University of Texas alumnus & ULI Co-founder. "Every year, students who would benefit from the DREAM Act graduate from public universities in our state, including the University of Texas. We hope that our state's senators and congressional delegation are taking note of the overwhelming support."

Jose Torres from the University Leadership Initiative added, "The economic benefits of an increasingly educated labor force to our state will be significant. It's no wonder that this law boasts supports from business groups, institutions of education, conservatives, and liberals."

In 2001, the Texas legislature overwhelmingly approved legislation to allow certain undocumented students who met residency requirements pay in-state tuition rates at public universities. The legislation was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry. The DREAM Act shows bipartisan support in Congress.

Walking for their dreams. . .

Immigration reform. . .now

I like what Jim Wallis writes in the latest on-line edition of Sojourners.  Lend him your attention for a few moments.  Then consider what you could do to join the movement to bring comprehensive reform to our immigration situation.

Pray Immigration Reform Into Passage

On Sunday, a major march for immigration reform will take place in Washington, D.C. Tens of thousands of people will gather to call on the White House to lead, and put forward an immigration reform bill whose time has come. We will march and we will pray. And the following morning, a high-level delegation of religious leaders will meet with key White House officials to press the same message. There are both Democrats and Republicans who in the past have said they supported comprehensive immigration reform, and so there ought now to be bipartisan support for such a bill. But in the ultra-partisan and poisoned atmosphere of the U.S. Congress now, bipartisan spirit has fled the halls of power. In Washington, politics is now just a game of win and lose, and it’s only about the next election; the process of politics in the nation’s capital is no longer about solving problems. But the problem is that there are children and families in the balance, and the politicians are now playing politics with the lives of vulnerable people. Those people are our brothers and sisters, they are our parishioners, and they are children of God. And the faith community has come together to say the time for politics over compassion is over.

The number of deportations in this administration’s first year is higher than previous years, meaning more broken lives, more families torn apart. That is not what we meant by change. Read the entire essay here.

[I know he has been busy on the economy, health care reform and other important matters, but possibly one thing you and I can do is write President Obama and challenge him to deliver on his campaign promise to bring forward a plan for comprehensive immigration reform ASAP.  LJ]

Students need relief. . .

What with the way things appear to be unfolding (or not!) in Washington these days, the chances of Congress tackling comprehensive immigration reform this year seem slim to none. 

Still millions of immigrant children brought to the US by their parents when they were still minors continue to find themselves in "status limbo."  Hard working, diligent, eager and hopeful, millions of these youth need the benefit of legislation like the various versions of the DREAM Act that we've discussed here on numerous occasions.  [If you are interested, type "DREAM Act" and "Monica" in search tool above left.]

Juan's story in the video clip below touched me again concerning the plight of some really great human beings.  What does faith have to say to us about Juan?

Good word on the DREAM Act

Take a moment to read the latest from Dallas Morning News columnist, William McKenzie on the DREAM Act.

Just makes sense. If you agree, contact your senators today and urge them to sign on to the bill.

.