Foreword to "DREAMers: Living in the Shadow of Hope"

Robert Penn Warren once wrote, “The law is always too short and too tight for growing humankind.”  This clearly applies to an antiquated immigration system ill fitted to twenty-first century economic and societal needs.

A dynamic society and economy require a dynamic immigration system, not one whose foundation largely dates to 1965.  The challenge of reform concerns bad law, not bad people.

Some fundamental changes are plain.  Family-based and employment-based quotas have to adjust to current needs.  Processes should be streamlined and made effective for global competitiveness.  Employment verification procedures must improve.  Programs should better integrate immigrants into society.

One sticking point concerns how to handle twelve million undocumented immigrants.  More than sixty percent of undocumented immigrants have lived in the United States for more than ten years, but most have no way to gain legal status.  A growing consensus accepts that undocumented workers help the economy.  Disastrous economic and societal consequences of Arizona’s harsh anti-immigration law led to the recall and defeat of the principal sponsor.

Some politicians call for greater accountability from undocumented immigrants.  The reality is that undocumented immigrants are accountable.  An undocumented immigrant in his early twenties once told me, “Today could be your last day here.  Any day we could be picked up, raided at work.  You can’t run a red light or even a yellow light.  You can’t get in any trouble.”

In March 2012, I asked a Spanish-speaking radio audience what they would like to say to policymakers.  Responses came quickly by text, chat and telephone.  Here are two from undocumented immigrants:

“They should listen to our stories.  We are good people.  We came here to work hard for our families.”

“Many of us are highly-trained and educated, but all of us have talent and deserve to be treated as human beings.  We are indispensable here.”

In relaying stories directly from high-achieving undocumented immigrant youth, “DREAMers: Living in the Shadow of Hope” adds essential voices to conversation about just, humane reform.

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