Amnesty and Citizenship for Undocumented, No Exceptions

All undocumented immigrants who have made the US their home deserve amnesty and the rights afforded by citizenship—even the “bad hombres.” For those that support the rights of the undocumented and immigration reform, we need to move beyond reference to the “model immigrant” in our defense and advocacy for this marginalized group. When I say model immigrant I mean the gifted, diligent, undocumented youth working their way through college or perhaps the day laborer who supports his family through backbreaking manual labor. These types of immigrants undoubtedly exist but they are not every undocumented immigrant. Some of them are not productive, law abiding people—just like some US citizens. It doesn’t matter. This may be shocking to some but whether or not someone has access to employment or freedom of movement should not be contingent on whether they are perfect, up-standing members of their community.