Immigration Reform 2013: Do Latinos Really Care About Getting Citizenship?

Immigration reform may be the most divisive issue in congress right now. In the wake of the government shutdown, time is running out for comprehensive reform this year. Yet while house speaker John Boehner pledged that immigration reform was "absolutely not" dead, a new report in the New York Times suggests that citizenship is not the central priority for undocumented immigrants. Rather, the focus for many latinos is finding a solution that will allow them peace of mind.

As immigration reform wears on, compromise seems to be the name of the game. This week, President Obama came to a compromise for his reform bill by allowing the larger overhaul to be broken up into several smaller bills: "If they want to chop that thing up into five pies, as long as all five pieces get done, I don't care what it looks like" the President told The Wall Street Journal. Likewise, many Latinos are willing to compromise with legalization over citizenship so long as it ensures reform will be fastracked.

Oscar A. Chacon argues that "For many undocumented people, citizenship is not a priority." Chacon, who is the executive director of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, suggests that "What they really care about is a solution that allows them to overcome their greatest vulnerabilities." Living in fear of deportation, not being able to legally drive a car, not being able to visit family members back home, these are the issues that concern Latinos day to day.

While citizenship is the ultimate goal for many Hispanics in the country, the 13-year path to citizenship currently under consideration is an arduous one. And if the choice comes down to legalization or nothing, then this small step could mean a great deal to the thousands of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Moreover, legalization is a path given far greater favor by House republicans such as Boehner: reaching such a compromise could be the only way to see significant reform in the near future.