The new year began with a new wave of government raids targeting immigrants from Central America and Mexico. About 120 were rounded up for deportation -- mostly women and children, many of whom had come to the U.S. fleeing violence in their home countries.
The raids are yet another depressing sign of the failed state of American immigration policy.
After nearly a decade of debate, everyone agrees that our immigration system is broken and needs comprehensive reform. But year after year slips by without a solution. In the vacuum created by polarization and inaction, deportation has become our government's "de facto" policy.
The case before the Supreme Court is about executive actions taken in November 2014 by President Obama that would halt deportations for three years for undocumented people who have been in this country for at least five years or who have a child who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
I am not a constitutional scholar or a political leader. But as a pastor I see every day the rising human toll of our failed immigration policies, especially on families and children.
The immigrants in our communities came to this country with hopes and dreams for a better life for their children. They are no different from the generations that came before them, such as the Irish and Italian families depicted in the film "Brooklyn," which is up for an Oscar this year.
Most of the 11 million undocumented people in the U.S. have been here for five years or more. About two-thirds have been here for at least a decade.
This is why our failure to enact comprehensive reforms is so cruel.
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