Politicians and civilians throughout the United States are demonstrating their support for around 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the country. While the struggle over the issue continues unabated in Washington, at state level a number of officials have been doing everything they can to allow undocumented immigrants to emerge from the shadows.
Democratic party leaders have meanwhile been continuing to promote advocacy and asking their constituents to keep the dream of comprehensive immigration reform alive; even if immigration reform does not take place in 2014, a number of steps are being taken to make sure that immigrants seeking US citizenship will be able to have a better life.
On May 24th Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, told the graduating class of 2014 at Annandale-on-Hudson’s Bard College that the United States economy is in need of a boost and that immigrants can be a major source of hope for the future of the nation. “In the United States, the middle class is the backbone of our democracy,” she said. “So let’s build ladders of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard, take responsibility and play by the rules to achieve the American dream and strengthen the middle class.”
State officials across the country, including the mayor of Somerville in Massachusetts, Joe Curtatone, and the mayor of Boston, Marty Welsh, have been working to oppose discriminatory policies against undocumented immigrants, including ending the right for the police to detain arrested immigrants for ICE agents.