No más parches, el Congreso debe una reforma migratoria
Por la Senadora Kirsten Gillibrand y José Calderón

En los últimos diez años ha habido en Washington una interminable postura teatral y exagerada con respecto a nuestro fallido sistema de inmigración. Por desgracia, ese largo debate no ha logrado ningún avance hacia la reforma inmigratoria integral que el país necesita con urgencia.

Resulta vergonzoso que el Congreso no pueda ni siquiera ponerse de acuerdo para hacer lo mínimo indispensable. Es decir, aprobar el DREAM Act, un conjunto de leyes que darán oportunidad de ir a la universidad y servir en las fuerzas armadas a miles de jóvenes inmigrantes que crecieron aquí y cuya patria son los Estados Unidos.

Mas..

It's Time for Congress to DREAM, and Get Serious About Comprehensive Immigration Reform
by US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and José Calderón

Over the past ten years there has been endless political posturing in Washington about our broken immigration system. Unfortunately, these debates have achieved nothing to produce critically needed comprehensive immigration reform.

It is shameful that Congress can’t even come together to do the bare minimum and pass the DREAM Act, legislation that would allow thousands of immigrant youth – who grew up here and know only America as their home – the opportunity to attend college and serve in the U.S. military.

These young people deserve better. We were so proud when President Obama stepped into the leadership void by recently issuing a policy change that will ensure all of our young people get a chance at the American dream. These students deserve the opportunity to work hard, get a good education, earn their way to legal status, help grow our economy and keep our country safe.

From a moral and historic perspective, President Obama’s decision reaffirms our basic values as a nation committed to opportunity, freedom and fairness. Allowing young immigrants, who have grown up with our children, excelled in our schools and aspire to give back to our communities an opportunity to work, is also smart economics.

Even Republicans such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell have publicly advocated for the DREAM Act, calling it critical to our national security. Now it’s time for Congress to put politics and ideology aside and finally act to strengthen our nation’s future and national security.

Sadly, the lack of leadership in Washington has reverberated across the country – leaving state governments on their own to answer the fundamental question of how we view and treat immigrants in our society.

States like Arizona and Alabama have passed abhorrent laws that undermine basic civil rights and are a clear step in the wrong direction for our nation. While the Supreme Court rightly struck down three of the harsh and unreasonable provisions, the remaining provision will promote racial profiling of Hispanics and is deeply troubling. These disgraceful laws set our nation backwards and are yet another example of why we need a federal solution for our broken immigration system.

America, and particularly New York, was built by the contributions of immigrants, and our diversity only adds to the greatness of this country. We must take action on balanced, comprehensive immigration reform that treats immigrants with dignity. We are more committed than ever to working hard toward passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill that treats immigrants fairly and gives them a path to earned citizenship.

Kirsten Gillibrand is the junior Senator from the State of New York and José Calderón is President of the Hispanic Federation