Reflection #2

Living In the Shadows

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/nyregion/de-blasio-offers-initiatives-for-immigration-reform.html?_r=0

In this article publish by The New York Times, New York City's mayor De Blasio suggests to pass a bill that allows immigrants to obtain drivers licenses as long as they have a high school, or equivalent, education. If this bill is passed, he would also like to make it available for immigrants to have proof of residency to use things such as public libraries. Although governor Eliot Spitzer tried to pass a similar bill in 2007, De Blasio seems to have more determination on this and chances seem greater for him.

De Blasio said, "Our city can't be whole while hundreds of thousands of people are living in the shadows. We need compassion and common sense." I feel that Rena and her family in The Distance Between Us felt as though they were living in the shadows. They had to be careful about not talking about crossing the border. And then they had to be creative as to going to the doctor's and dentist's so that they would not get deported. Although this changed for the better when they got their green cards and became citizens of the US, for a while they really couldn't go and do much. I think this is a problem that De Blasio has correctly addressed.

While New York city's population is composed o 37% immigrants, I believe this is such a smart idea. It won't only help the immigrants feel less "in the shadows", but it could also help the economy. The downside to this bill proposal is that it could attract even more immigrants. A few states have already adopted this bill and it seems to be working well for them. Before this article and reading The Distance Between Us, I did not realize how severely immigrants were living in the shadows.