Necesitamos una reforma migratoria ahora!

Me llamo Cristopher, and I believe in immigration reform. I also believe that I need to work on my Spanish so I can complete a whole introductory sentence en Espanol.  Eso es chido. Okay, sorry... I will stop with the Spanglish.

The reality is that we are a county of immigrants and have always been a melting pot of different cultures, beliefs, and traditions. Diversity has been a good thing. For one, it has helped our economy. Mayor Villaraigosa correctly pointed out that 40% of the Fortune 500 companies were started by immigrants.

Second, it has led to innovation. The New York Times found that immigrants and foreign born students have helped increase the number of patents in the United States. Some of those patents have already saved lives. Ashlesh Murthy, from India, developed a vaccine. And Wenyuan Shi, from China, developed a lollipop ingredient that works as dental treatment for children. I should have checked that out before I got my wisdom teeth removed.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, it has led to a wide variety of restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area. I admit that this third benefit was intended to be funny but it speaks to the truth about the need for novelty. With so many different types of people living amongst one another, a person can find any type of exotic cuisine. It also means that a person can learn new things and make new friends.

Despite these proven benefits, immigration reform has been a polarized issue. Well...until President Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney by 5 million total votes and 120 electoral votes. Included in the victorious Obama coalition were Hispanic voters, who either were immigrants themselves or family members of immigrants. The Hispanic vote went 75-23% for Obama, the widest margin in presidential politics.

One day after the election, on November 7 2012, Sean Hannity announced, on his conservative television program, that he would support comprehensive immigration reform. That was a dramatic change from when he supported self-deportation, a large border fence, and a rogue state immigration law like SB 1070 in Arizona.

He may have had an overnight revelation. But it is more likely that he read the exit polls during the night and could not go back to sleep.

It doesn't matter if the GOP changed its stance on immigration for the purposes of self-preservation. A political party should adapt to the conditions of the country. But more importantly, we now have the opportunity to pass a bipartisan immigration bill.

With this GOP cooperation, a path for citizenship can be laid out for millions of immigrants. And it does not have to be amnesty. President Obama wants to include penalties for those who have came here in violations of our current immigration laws. There could be a fine and a mandate to pay back taxes.

These criteria combined with strict border enforcement, employment verification, and a tough stance on felonious immigrants leads to comprehensive reform, which works for everyone.

Back in the 19th Century, an argument was made for equality in labor. Hinton Helper eloquently stated that, "the causes which have impeded the progress and prosperity of The South, which have dwindled our commerce, and other similar pursuits, into the most contemptible insignificance; sunk a large majority of our people in galling poverty and ignorance, entailed upon us a humiliating dependence on the Free States; may all be traced to one common source, Slavery."

In a way, undocumented labor has become similar to slavery. And like slavery, undocumented labor only hurts the economy. Undocumented workers depress wages, make products less safe, and encourage an atmosphere of shadow and noncompliance. Could you imagine what would happen if these individuals paid taxes and became citizens?

Economists already have. The United States GDP would increase $1.5 trillion over 10 years and federal revenues would increase $4.5 billion in the first three years. It sounds like the tea party should talk with Hannity if they are serious about deficit reduction.

Comprehensive immigration reform is good for everyone, economically and morally. This is not the time to fight about a fence or the possibility that the US will become a  "magnet" for illegals. Necesitamos una reforma ahora!