Immigration Reform

By now, we have all become accustomed to Mr. Trump's racist agenda on immigration policy. It's not
the natives who helped to build this country, but rather the millions of immigrants. Catapulting on the
inability to pass an immigration reform bill, many senators used the Olympic games as a reason to
protect those who are already living in fear of deportation.

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois even went so far as putting a poster on the Senate floor
of Korean immigrant Chloe Kim Snow to make a point that all immigrants need to be protected. With
many Republicans not willing to back down without funding for the border wall, a showdown is almost certain. Mr. Trump has even said he will not sign legislation unless his planned wall is included in the funding.

Chloe Kim Snow's parents immigrated to the US in 1982. Chloe recently won the gold medal in
women's snowboard halfpipe. According to NBC, her father, Jong Jin Kim, won American hearts
before the halfpipe finals when NBC cameras showed him hoisting what appeared to be a homemade
sign reading, “Go Chloe!”
With the Republican majority at a razor thin margin, any Democratic senator could stall the passage of the proposed legislation.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said that Jong Jin Kim chose a life of sacrifice leaving his home country and family with a faith that his children could succeed in the US. Fellow Senator Dianne Feinstein of California said in a tweet “Congratulations to California's own @ChloeKimSnow on winning Olympic gold! The Kim family's story reminds us all that the contribution of immigrant families helps make America great.”

Whether immigration reform is passed remains to be seen. For now, we can only hope the House and
Senate can come together and give millions of immigrants a reason to come out of the shadows