Find Diversity in the Immigration Reform Debate

• By Rep. Yvette Clarke
• Special to Roll Call
• Dec. 15, 2009, Midnight

For many Americans, the term “immigration reform” evokes images of Central American and Mexican migrants crossing the rivers of the U.S.-Mexican border by day and running across the landlocked southwestern borders by night. It is true that securing the U.S.-Mexican border is a very important policy objective — and it is clear that Central Americans and Mexican-Americans make up a significant portion of the immigrant population. According to a July 2009 Pew Hispanic Center report, Mexico is by far the leading country of origin for U.S. immigrants, accounting for one-third (32 percent) of all foreign-born residents and two-thirds (66 percent) of Hispanic immigrants.