A New Day for America, But Not for Immigrants?

There’s a buzz in the air in Washington, DC.

The inaugural ceremony is over and I can still feel the energy of millions of folks from across the country walking the streets, filled with the excitement of what’s to come in the next four years.

Hope’s in the air and I’m starting to feel it too.

President Obama ran on a promise of change that reminded us of the power of everyday people working together towards a better future. He tapped into the nation’s hopes and dreams to help us imagine a nation free of the last 8 year’s policies of division and fear.

This moment marks a new day for America. But I wonder if this moment rings true for everybody.

Franklin D. Roosevelt once talked about the Four Freedoms that all humans around the world should enjoy. One of these freedoms is freedom from fear. If we are to value his words and the message of hope and community that President Obama espoused during his Presidential campaign, then perhaps it’s time for us to take a deep look at the state of immigration in this nation.

For many of immigrants, the last 8 years have been marked by scapegoating, hate, and fear. I remember hearing stories of immigrant mothers sending their children to school with emergency information in case they were caught by ICE authorities and deported. I read countless stories of immigrant workers that were exploited by their employers. I remember the stories of immigrant detainees that were allowed to die in imprisonment.

Immigrant communities have always been a part of our nation. And they have played a large part in Obama’s path to the presidency. If Obama is to realize the promise of hope and change in this country and if he is to fight for the right for all communities to live free from fear, then let's call on him to work to transform our immigration system so that workers don’t fear raids, families stay together, and no one lives in the shadows.

Tomorrow morning, on January 21st, the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a project of the Center for Community Change, will be hosting a day of action to celebrate A New Day For America and a new hope for immigration reform. We are asking President Obama to fix our country’s broken immigration system with a moratorium on the raids and comprehensive immigration reform. I encourage you to join me in this march.

Visit http://www.anewdayforimmigration.org [1] for more information.