The New York Times published a great editorial yesterday supporting progressive immigration reform, and the four brave students that are walking from Miami to DC to support the DREAM Act, stand up for worker’s rights, stop the separation of families, and create a fair pathway to citizenship. The Times argued that we should not wait until the economy improves to pass immigration reform, as some have suggested:

The Obama administration has vowed to press ahead with reform this year. Given the hard economic times, the politics may be bleaker even than in 2007 when reform was scuttled in an ugly battle. The need is just as real — for the undocumented and for the country.

America needs to shut the path to illegal entry and employment while opening smoother and more rational routes to legal immigration. Opponents of reform say the downturn is a terrible time to fix the system, but they are wrong. When the recovery comes, the country will need a functioning system more than ever — one that encourages legal entry and bolsters all workers’ rights.

To do this, the country needs to bring its huge undocumented underclass into the light.

You can learn more about the Trail of DREAMs at their website (you can even chat with the students live most nights at around 8PM EST): trail2010.org

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