The State of the Union and Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The 2012 State of the Union address is an opportunity for the President to publicize and address some of the most pressing issues in America. One such issue is comprehensive immigration reform, the need for which grows more urgent every day.

There are approximately 10 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, many of whom came to this country looking for economic opportunity or freedom from persecution for themselves and their children. The current system fails to address the growing number of immigrants in our society. Backlogs separate families for decades; workers who contribute to economic development in the agricultural, service, and construction industries confront difficulties in attaining proper working visas; bright teens raised in this country are often unable to go to college and contribute to this great nation that they call home.

It is our hope that President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address will discuss the need for comprehensive immigration reform, which would attempt to resolve these issues by tackling three major components: border security, paths to earned legalization, and temporary worker programs. While these issues are different from one another, they are all necessary as part of an inclusive strategy to resolve our broken system.

The political dispute over immigration results not from what needs to be addressed, but rather from how to confront the different facets. For example, many believe that the most effective solution to increasing border security is building a wall, increasing patrollers, and/or using more advanced technology. Others emphasize prioritizing resources, so that border patrol agents pursue criminals rather than immigrant workers. In terms of earned legalization, current paths such as green cards are slow to acquire, therefore keeping family members away from loved ones. Many advocate a more efficient method that would expedite the documentation process for law-abiding individuals so that those who wish to remain in this country can pay taxes and contribute fully to society. Regarding temporary worker programs, many of those who labor in this country illegally propel domestic industries with their hard work, yet they are especially vulnerable to employer exploitation. One proposed solution is to streamline the work visa acquisition process with the hope that it would enable immigrants to more comfortably come forward to apply for visas to work legally in this country with due protections.

The need for President Obama to speak to these issues on the prominent platform that is the State of the Union is even more important given the harsh, discriminatory laws that have been passed in states such as Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina and Utah and that have instilled fear in many documented and undocumented people. In defending these anti-immigrant laws, many state officials have claimed that they needed to create their own legislation because the federal government is not adequately addressing these issues. Opponents of these laws contend that they compromise civil rights and waste limited resources.

Some lower courts have overturned portions of these laws, but the Supreme Court will weigh in on Arizona’s legislation this spring. Until then, some members of Congress have tried to undercut the effects of these laws by introducing the End Racial Profiling Act, which would make the use of race or ethnicity as sufficient grounds to subject an individual to law enforcement activity illegal.

Despite this battle over federal vs. state power, one piece of federal immigration legislation that has acquired bipartisan support is the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. This bill addresses the situation faced by young people who were brought to the United States as undocumented immigrant children and who have since grown up here, stayed in school and kept out of trouble. Nonetheless, these students face unique barriers to higher education, are unable to work legally in the U.S., and often live in constant fear of deportation from the place they call home. The DREAM Act would provide certain undocumented youth conditional legal status and eventual citizenship if they attend college or join the military, were brought to the United States at or before 15 years of age, and have no criminal record. The State of the Union is an opportunity for President Obama to reiterate his support for the DREAM Act, as he did in last year’s address.

Our Jewish faith demands of us concern for the stranger in our midst. Leviticus commands, “When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” [19:33-34].  This principle permeates Jewish tradition and is echoed 35 times in the Torah. For this reason, as well as for the experiences of our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents that immigrated to the United States and other countries and struggled to make a prosperous life for their children, comprehensive immigration reform should have a platform during the State of the Union address.

Watch the speech on Tuesday, January 24, at 9 p.m. ET to hear if President Obama mentions comprehensive immigration reform, and make sure to follow along with the RAC’s BINGO board to see what else he discusses. Also, keep checking RACblog between now and the speech for more updates on the issues we chose for our BINGO board.

Photo courtesy of National Council of La Raza