In a cnn.com article, Jeb BUsh is quoted as saying that “immigration is an act of love and not a felony.” Jeb Bush represents the more centric party of the Republican Party and seeks move the conversation from the heated rhetoric of the extreme right. This is a positive move for a leader of his stature within the party to publicly advocate a reasonable approach. No doubt he will be decimated by the right wing talk radio so it takes some courage.

The language he uses makes him sound like a blue state liberal but I think it is powerful. The direct quote states:

“Yes, they broke the law, but it’s not a felony. It’s an act of love, it’s an act of commitment to your family,” Bush told Fox News host Shannon Bream. The full article is available here.

This quote may suggest that Jeb Bush gets it. If you are an immigration or know one, you too may get it. I am an immigrant who is lucky to represent other immigrants as a lawyer before the USCIS and before immigration courts. We come to this great country to better not only our lives but those of our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. In my case, my eldest sister was the first to make the sojourn into the land of milk and honey. …Ahem…lots of hard work too it turns out… Shortly thereafter she had made a way for my second oldest sister to follow. She was the Lewis & Clark of our family. She had mapped a path of where we would go and so it was. A couple of years later, the rest of the family joined her.

Just my eldest sister did the first couple of years here she went to school and worked hard to make away financially for her sister to join her. Once the rest of the family came, it took several months for us to get jobs so that first year and many more after that, we relied on each other.

My story is not unique. Most immigrants can relate to what it takes and means to come to the US. Jeb Bush may finally understand. It is an act of love. Our love for our families gives us the courage to spend a fortune to come here in the hope that greater fortunes await for our families. Hard earned dollars are saved and sent to loved ones thousands of miles away. One income earner in the US can support several relatives due to the currency and value of goods in most of our home countries.

Finally, I would like to remind all of us that when we talk about immigration we are talking about people with families. Children of immigrants do not deserve to torn away from their parents anymore than any other children. It is an act of love to come to this country. It will take an act of love to change the law on immigration.