Family, Education Struggles Motivate Immigration Reform Activism: It’s not a question of why immigration reform needs to happen for Alma Huerta, a freshman at Georgetown University—it’s a matter of when. The 18-year-old has lived through having no papers to waiting to take a citizenship test to undergo a uniquely American transmutation—from Mexican to Mexican-American.
“You live here and study here, this becomes your country,” said Huerta, who is studying international politics and foreign policy. “You are product of your heritage but in the end there is a reason why you left, you want to be a part of this country.”
But for many—approximately 12 million—joining the union isn’t an option until legislators in Washington decide their fate. Hundreds of activists and demonstrators assembled near the Capitol Tuesday, hoping to revive the debate and unveil Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s (D-Ill.) new comprehensive reform bill.
