We were all shocked and saddened by the recent Boston Marathon bombings on April 15th. Like many of you, I found my heart breaking for the innocent victims who were killed or injured. But, in recent days, I have been distressed to see opponents of immigration reform who are using the fact that the suspects were Chechen immigrants to derail reform efforts. For instance, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) insisted that "the fact that foreign nationals were behind the attack underscores the argument that creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants could endanger the public."

Casting prospective immigrants as "dangerous foreigners" in order to derail controversial legislation is nothing new. But, it is important to separate truth from fact in the arguments that are used. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) declared that immigration reform should not go forward "until the national security weaknesses exposed by the Boston bombings are addressed." However, as Chicago immigration attorney Elizabeth Walder and others rightly point out, if there was a "failure" in the system leading up to the bombings, it was a failure of intelligence. The FBI had completed a background check on the older brother and concluded he posed no immediate threat and did not need further investigation. >> Read More