The Register's Editorial: Why isn't immigration reform a priority?

Max Villatoro was a young man when he arrived in the United States in 1995. Two decades later he is a pastor in Iowa City, married and the father of four children. They range in age from 7 to 15 and are all U.S. citizens. He has been described by fellow clergy as a "person of great integrity and wisdom."

This country is his home.

But the federal government says it isn't.

Last week Villatoro was taken into custody by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. His wife said he was giving a neighbor a ride to work and had just returned home when he was arrested. After years of trying unsuccessfully to obtain permission to stay in this country legally, he now faces being deported to Honduras. Immigration officials say his distant criminal history (from the 1990s) made him an "enforcement priority."

He is not a criminal and should not be deported, members of his community say. They've rallied around the family, contacted government officials, and asked immigration organizations for help. On Friday, more than 100 supporters gathered outside the Linn County Jail, where Villatoro is being held. They've been gathering signatures on petitions calling for his immediate release.

This Iowan is the human face behind the statistics of undocumented immigrants. When politicians talk flippantly about deporting the millions of people, they are talking about a man known in his community as "Pastor Max."

Every day federal officials quietly deport our neighbors, break up families and destroy the dreams of people who were seeking a better life by coming here. When an individual is well-known in his or her community, people rally, organize petitions and express outrage. Though well-intentioned, these efforts rarely makes a difference in the outcome.

Through it all, Congress refuses to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Our elected representatives in Washington should finally do what they were elected to do: be leaders on fixing a problem that affects the entire country. Our broken immigration system is a problem. Legislation for reform should hold businesses accountable for hiring immigrants without documents and impose reasonable requirements on people who are here illegally. It should create a path for good, productive people to become legal residents.

Yet a Republican-controlled Congress not only refuses to act, it was recently willing to withhold funding for homeland security to protest action President Barack Obama took to try to address problems. Politicians complain about the president, but refuse to do anything themselves. While Obama has repeatedly said he is waiting for reform legislation to land on his desk, Congress has repeatedly failed to deliver it.

Immigration reform is too important to be held hostage by politics. Posturing and rhetoric on the issue accomplish nothing. And until Congress addresses the mess, Iowans like Max Villatoro will continue to be deported. That does not make this country a better or safer place.