Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Imagine

Imagine living your life as you think you know it. You're sure you know who you are. And you're quite sure where you want to go with your future and what you want to do with your life.

Now imagine watching all of that suddenly fade away. Suddenly, you're no longer feeling so secure. Suddenly, you're unsure of your own future. Suddenly, you can relate to the story of Jose Antonio Vargas and the millions of other DREAMers living in this nation.



Just this morning, Jose Antonio Vargas was arrested and detained by US Border Patrol agents in McAllen, Texas. Ironically, Vargas was there to report on the Central American refugee crisis. It didn't take long for Vargas himself to become part of the story.

But then again, Jose Antonio Vargas himself is a refugee. His family brought him into the US so he could escape the poverty he was enduring in the Philippines and build a better life. He didn't even know he was undocumented until he was 16.

And he's not alone. Many more refugees have come here seeking asylum and hoping for a fresh start. And while a Kenyan woman recently succeeded in attaining legal status, millions more LGBTQ immigrants are living in limbo and waiting for the opportunity to emerge from the shadows.



And they're not alone. Bryan Rivera's mother just wanted her son to succeed. When she sued her abusive ex for child support, he turned her in to ICE. Bryan had to seek the aid of Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) to free his mother from Henderson Detention Center.

Imagine having the solution to this problem right at your desk. And imagine that solution also holding the potential to boost the economy. Now imagine that solution being smothered to death in the lower House of Congress because the 21st Century Know Nothings don't want any solutions.



If Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) and his House Republican colleagues truly care about finding a comprehensive solution to this complex problem, they know exactly where to find it. Oh, and where might that be? Try HR 15.

They don't need to imagine something else. They can simply take up what's been waiting for them since October. And they can actually be productive for a change. Now imagine that.


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