[From March 2010]

This spring, communities are springing into action - from Washington, DC to San Francisco to Oakland - to demand humane immigration reform in 2010.

Why such passionate urgency on immigration reform?

A broken system encourages exploitation, hurts all workers

Our country’s broken immigration system recklessly breaks up innocent families, often ripping parents from their children. The system also makes it perversely easy for unscrupulous corporations to exploit immigrant workers. And that drives down wages for all of us, immigrant or not.

Reform would help rebuild the middle class

Despite talk of recovery, communities across the country continue to suffer economic pain.

Common-sense reform with a pathway to citizenship would let immigrants participate fully in our society. With equal rights in the workplace, all workers would have more bargaining power, and we’d feel that in our own wallets.

In fact, a UCLA study earlier this year found that giving legal status to undocumented workers would add some $1.5 trillion to our economy over the next ten years, with higher wages and increased spending creating more jobs for all.

Yep, we're talking 13 figures - $1,500,000,000,000 - added to our nation's gross domestic product over the next decade. We can't let our elected officials squander this opportunity to boost our economy.

Upholding our values

 The call for reasonable solutions to the immigration crisis also has a powerful moral foundation, with clergy and congregants inspired by their faith traditions to speak out for just reform.

There’s a strong East Bay connection here: as Oakland local reported, last week, the leaders of some of Oakland’s most prominent African-American congregations gathered and passionately proclaimed their support for humane immigration reform. If you didn’t catch their moving words on the local news (scroll down), please watch their press conference and prayer.

In the words of Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith Jr., Senior Pastor, Allen Temple Baptist Church:

All of us are interconnected in this great web of mutuality. When one hurts, we all hurt in this society.

All of this adds up to an inescapable conclusion: we need action on immigration reform now. The costs of inaction are simply too great, economically and ethically.

What can you do to support this growing movement?

Stay tuned for details about upcoming actions, but here's something quick: pick up the phone, call Senator Dianne Feinstein at 415-393-0707, and tell her take leadership in moving just and compassionate immigration reform - this year.