Mexicans Cautious but Positive about US Immigration Reform

But worries about length of time it will take

Mexicans reacted with cautious optimism to the immigration reform bill submitted to the U.S. Senate Wednesday, saying that while it proposes a long wait for migrants to gain U.S. citizenship, it at least gives them a stable path to do so.

"There are some people who would like to become citizens right away," said Ismael Mota Ortega, 48, who heads the Illinois federation of clubs of migrants from the central Mexico state of Zacatecas. "But there are others who see things sensibly, that you have to demonstrate that you can truly be a good citizen, step by step."

But Marco Antonio Castillo, who leads an advocacy group called the Popular Assembly of Migrant Families, complained about the numerous conditions the measure would impose on applicants, saying, "The immigration reform doesn't appear to be as just as possible."