Editor’s Note: Mark Alvarez shares a touching story below about a teenager and the campaign for immigration reform. Perhaps better than any speech or message by politicians or elected officials, the story zeroes in precisely on why there should be no further delay in enacting comprehensive immigration reform. And, it’s timed well to coincide with Sunday’s (March 21) march in downtown Salt Lake City. The Utahns for Immigration Reform organizing committee anticipates thousands of Utah Latinos and supporters, beginning at the City and County Building at 11 a.m. The rally is expected to be the largest gathering since the April 9, 2006 march that brought an estimated 40,000 individuals to the city. The march, which will go to and from the State Capitol, begins at noon with pre-march activities starting at 11:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to wear white T-shirts to symbolize peace and justice for immigrants. Some will travel from St. George, Logan, Wendover, Idaho and Wyoming.

Yesterday morning around 6:30, Vanessa B. arrived at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Salt Lake City. She travels with a group that will “let their voices be heard in Washington, D.C.” Vanessa and her companions advocate for comprehensive immigration reform.

Vanessa stood before a banner that read:
Change takes faith and action
Immigration Reform for American Families
PICO National Network: Unlocking the Power of People

She told her story in flawless English and she used her full name, displaying far more courage than many elected officials who have sidestepped this issue for an inexcusably long time.

Vanessa has lived in the U.S. since the age of 6. After fifth grade, she was offered a scholarship to a private middle school. She could not accept it. Later, Vanessa was offered other scholarships. She could not accept them.

She is in her junior year of high school in Oakland, California and she thinks about where to go to college. She wonders whether she can go. At times, her life is difficult.

Vanessa was born in Michoacán, México, and she is undocumented. With her companions, she will fight for comprehensive immigration reform that respects families. They will not give up.

Vanessa says, “They are wasting their time not passing comprehensive immigration reform. It has to pass sometime.” To opponents of comprehensive immigration reform, she says simply, “We are all human and immigrants in this world.”

After listening to a few speeches at St. Ambrose, I talked with Vanessa whose presence and straightforward eloquence stood out among the stories being told, even moving some in the audience to tears. She spoke both English and Spanish.

Vanessa did not know she would have to overcome so many obstacles. She learned the challenges of her immigration status as she grew up.

Vanessa wants to be a psychologist. She talked about working with people in jails and trying to help young people avoid trouble. The irony is touching and instructive especially for those who continue to insist stubbornly that immigrants are lawbreakers and see no reason to reform a system that flies so cruelly in the face of basic human respect and dignity.

During the eight-day bus trip, Vanessa will dedicate two hours every day to study and complete her school assignments. She says, “bad immigration laws affect me, but I am speaking up for many.”

A journalist told me it was hard not to become emotional as Vanessa related her story. Professional or not, I would think it inhuman.

While one can lay out all of the legalistic nuances and subtleties in this debate, there is really only one moral justification for resolving this problem. Policy experts, lawyers, elected officials, and scholars on both sides of the aisle have poured millions of words onto the pages and computer screens, laying out a rationale. However, it’s the unambiguous statement by a teenager that reminds us: “We are all humans and immigrants in this world.”