The New York Times Backs Immigration Reform as Endorsements Pile Up

The editorial board at the New York Times came out swinging in support of comprehensive immigration reform this week. In a rather blunt assessment of the current administration’s approach so far, the Times’ editorial noted that President Obama has yet to fulfill his campaign promise regarding immigration reform and has instead relied on enforcement strategies whose consequences are reminiscent of the Bush era. As KUOW recently reported, the devastating effects of a workplace raid in Bellingham are still lingering one year later.

Closer to home, the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board also threw its support behind immigration reform, calling on Washington’s Congressional delegation to listen to our state’s law enforcement agencies on the need for sensible reform.

Those urging reform are diverse and include religious and business groups, the Times added. Indeed, the Associated Baptist Press featured an op-ed on Monday that called for passing immigration reform this year and that a comprehensive approach “is both principled and practical.” The Wenatchee World recently reported that changes to immigration policy were a big topic at the 2010 Washington Farm Bureau Labor Conference in late February. “We need immigration reform so that the agriculture sector in this country has access to a plentiful, legal work force,” said Gary Writer of WACO Farms in Wapato.  

And that’s just a sampling. Every day more voices join the escalating chorus for Congress and the White House to take action on immigration reform now.