By Mark Bashore, WKAR Radio
LANSING, MI – A mid-Michigan coalition of labor, faith and civil-rights leaders is getting behind comprehensive federal immigration reform.
Organizers of the Michigan coalition of Reform Immigration for America say an earned path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is the centerpiece of its agenda. Chris Michaelakis is with the United Food and Commercial Workers of Michigan:
"We can't have this mass deportation of, you know, of 13-million workers here," he says. "I mean, that's just completely unfeasible. So a path to citizenship would be the best way to move forward when we're talking about comprehensive immigration reform."
The group is also calling for changes to the visa system and protecting immigrant workers from unscrupulous employers. It says it would like to see congressional action by the end of the year.