by Nezua, TMC Mediawire Blogger

The immigration discussion is sometimes reduced to symbols or a war of "sides," be it on blogs, comment threads, or conference calls between legislators, media outlets, and activists. But it's important to remember what this fight is about: People. In last week's Wire, we covered the White House's June 25th meeting with lawmakers, during which an intention to address immigration reform was formally announced. The meeting yielded much celebration and discussion by advocacy groups and activists alike, but waiting for reform does not change the situation on the ground. This week, we look at everyday situations--from students who are deported upon graduation to the growing number of hate crimes--that make a clear argument for reform now, not later.

RaceWire's Julianne Hing reports on the "good immigrant/bad immigrant" fallacy inherent in even the DREAM Act's terms:

When the DREAM Act is passed, heck, when immigration reform gets passed, people in this country will feel so magnanimous. But families will still get torn apart because we insist on dividing immigrants into two camps: the good and deserving, and the bad and unworthy.

Hing writes this in reference to the case of Walter Lara, a child of immigrants, who wasn't aware of his undocumented status until attending college. He was nearly deported this July, but managed to stay thanks to a "a frenzied couple months of multi-pronged organizing" and petitioning the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Hing calls Lara's halted deportation a "pyrrhic victory" for the movement.

The phrase "comprehensive reform" is used by media, activists. and politicians alike, but what does it actually mean? Will comprehensive reform include aid to those fleeing military corruption in Mexico? Or will our immigration policies keep them at bay with a wall or more border troops? In Mother Jones, Richard Bowden writes of reporter Emilio Gutiérrez Soto's flight from the Mexican Army and appeal for asylum in the U.S., even though "no Mexican reporter has ever been given political asylum." The U.S. supports Mexican President Felipe Calderón's harsh Drug War policies, and yet our policies have forced this migrant and many others North, where they often end up in detention. With truly "comprehensive" reform, we could resolve this glaring hypocrisy.

In the video below, Gutiérrez Soto speaks about his belief in the U.S. justice system, and his hopes for the future.