Washington, DC – America’s most respected civil rights leaders gathered in Washington, DC today to hail President Obama’s pending executive action on immigration. The President will seek to solve some of the gravest economic threats and moral injustices of the dysfunctional immigration system now in place through better administration at his disposal.

Among those who gathered to lend their voices to urge action were:

·         Cornell William Brooks, President & CEO of the NAACP

·         Wade Henderson, President & CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights

·         Maria Teresa Kumar, President & CEO of Voto Latino

·         Ben Moterroso, Executive Director of Mi Familia Vota

·         Marc Morial, President & CEO of the National Urban League

·         Mee Moua, President & Executive Director of the Asian American Justice Center

·         Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign

·         Janet Murguia, President & CEO of the National Council of La Raza

·         Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel, of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund

·         Hector Sanchez, Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda

·         Rev. Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network

·         Heather Smith, President of Rock the Vote

·         Jose Antonio Vargas, Founder & Co-Chair of Define American

·         Melanie L. Campbell, President & CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

Speaking at Latino Magazine’s Nuestro Futuro forum earlier in the day, Congressman Joaquin Castro pointed out that the Senate has passed comprehensive immigration reform legislation that awaits a vote in the House of Representatives. The Republican majority has refused to allow a vote on the bill and has not moved any legislation, even in pieces, to solve the current immigration system’s failures. Key among those failings with critical implications for American competitiveness, today’s immigration policies fail to allow either highly trained professionals to work in needed areas or laborers and craftsmen to fill positions in agriculture, construction or manufacturing. The continuing result is that both professionals and laborers use traditional undocumented channels to secure work, make money and grow our economy; but at a cost to both the employer and employee that leaves both at risk.

It was in this area that several speakers at today’s civil rights gathering remember the offensive moral cost of continuing the current policy. For example the limited number of immigrants who have secured employment visas find that family members must wait decades to join their spouses in this country.  Children born here to a father or mother without documents can find their family torn apart by deportation.

Wade Henderson pointed out that tonight President Obama is poised to execute the greatest civil rights action since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Although it is limited to his Constitutional authority to administer the government, millions of undocumented immigrants may find a path to shelter them and their families from deportation and open avenues of legal employment.  Albeit only as long as a sympathetic President holds office.

With control of both the House and Senate, the Republican Party has an opportunity to solve the immigration challenge for the long term to grow our economy and our community. President Obama can only manage the system to deliver the best results a dated and defective policy has delivered to all of us.