Vail on Immigration Refom and Immigrants

Joe Vail of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Houston Law Center penned a nice commentary about immigration reform (here).  It begins:

In my work at the Immigration Clinic at the University of Houston Law Center, I have daily contact with so-called “illegal immigrants.” Contrary to what you may have heard on talk radio, these people are not gun-toting, drug-smuggling criminals determined to invade our country and destroy our culture.

Here’s a true picture. Most of these undocumented workers have resided here for several years, and they hold demanding jobs and pay property, sales and income taxes. The vast majority have no criminal record, save for their unlawful immigration status, and many are raising children born in the United States. And without exception, every one of them had pinned high hopes on gaining proper documentation under the immigration reform bill.

KJ