The American people and the millions currently in the United States vying for citizenship stand to gain from comprehensive immigration reform.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold some but not all of the provisions in Arizona’s SB 1070, it is inevitable that the path toward immigration reform will involve a delicate dance between local and federal government. What can be changed, however, is whether members of both political parties work to creating substantive immigration reform.

This policy provides no path to legal status. That is the essential part of the DREAM Act that hundreds of thousands have fought for and that Obama promised.

The move is not due to an act of Congress but is instead solely due to the president’s directions to the Department of Homeland Security. Essentially, the president is telling the department to stop enforcing federal law.

Recent legislation spanning from Arizona to Georgia has focused on decreasing the presence of illegal immigrants in the United States, yet have resulted in hundreds of cases like Torres’. No legislation has proven to be eective in controlling illegal immigration while simultaneously defending the civil rights of immigrant communities.

This is a difficult, volatile issue in a time of small minds and big egos — good luck finding enough members of Congress willing to fall on the sword and make immigration reform a reality. But if any issue demands bipartisan care and attention, it is this one — we must find a way forward.

An end to the expulsion of “talented, responsible young people... who could be further enriching this nation."