KERRY STANDS WITH MA IMMIGRATION ACTIVISTS

I want to thank all of you for being here today, for boarding these buses
and for traveling down to Washington so your voices can be heard as
Congress tries once again to fix our immigration laws.  You are another
shining example of what has happened throughout our history - Americans
taking to the streets to rally the country against racial inequality,
social injustice or war and to show Congress the way.

Your cause – fair and comprehensive immigration reform – is no less
important than those historic struggles because we are a nation of
immigrants and a nation of laws and how we reconcile these two
principles is crucial in determining what kind of nation we hope to be.

Twice before we have tried to pass comprehensive immigration reform and twice
before we have seen fear, misinformation and even hatred rule the day. 
But with a new president in the White House and a new comprehensive
approach, we have a rare opportunity to get it right, finally.

Successful reform requires four cornerstones – strengthening our borders,
providing a path to legalization, creating an effective guest worker
program with adjusted visa caps and strong labor protections and setting
up a reliable employment verification program.

We need to stop amnesty from being used as a dirty word and start talking
straight about how to figure out who is actually in the United States,
to bring people out of the shadows and to create a fair and effective
way for people who have lived, worked and contributed to America to
finally become Americans.