The New York Times recently reported a heart breaking but not surprising story of the deaths and human rights violations taking place in our immigrant deportaion jails. Despite the government’s attempt to cover it up, there are many cased of neglect, lack of access to medical care, abuse, and downright murderous treatment of immigrants in these in the detention facilities. And yes – I said despite the government’s attempt to cover it up. Thougsands of pages of documents were uncovered concerning over 100 deaths in the past 7 years detailing how officials went to great lengths to avoid what they considered to be an embarrassing PR nightmare and what I consider to me flat out injustice.

Stories like this are not uncommon and simply reiterate the lack of value that our government places on certain lives but also the dire need for immigration reform. But what can we do about it? Many political insiders say that immigration reform is too much of a hot button issue for the administration to take up this year

But for millions of college students being dragged out of their classrooms and the only life they’ve ever known, families being torn apart, workers being oppressed, and detainees being left to die, what is politically feasibility seems a silly criteria for American justice, national security, and the nation’s economic stability.

So again I ask, what can we do about right now? Well 4 college students that my organization is working with from Florida are doing something about it. The students, several of who are themselves undocumented immigrants, are risking their safety, their education, and potentially their lives by walking from Florida to DC  to bring attention to the need for comprehensive immigration reform. They are putting a face to the crisis and getting attention from volunteers, supporters, media, politicians and also, of course, anti-immigrant protestors city by city. They are expected to arrive in Washington DC by May.

Government agencies will no doubt respond to the news of the detainees in the next couple of days and President Obama’s administration will continue to emphasize the need for eventual action. And perhaps it will indeed happen this year. But leave it to my generation to show everyone that when politics is personal and when lives are at stake, lipservice isn’t enough. Sometimes you just gotta move.