Let me tell you why I am writing about immigration reform.

We are standing at the cusp of history. If passed, the immigration reform bill stands to bring 11 million living, breathing, men, women and children out of second class non-citizenship, closing the chapter on decades of fear, uncertainty and exploitation. If these people were a country, they'd be more populous than Greece (10.8m), Portugal (10.5m), Hungary (9.9m), Sweden (9.5m), Austria (8.4m), Switzerland (8m), Israel (8m), Denmark (5.6m), Finland (5.4m), Norway (5m) or Ireland (4.5m). The sheer magnitude of humanity that stands to be unshackled makes this an event no less dramatic than the impending liberation of an entire country.

If given legal status, these millions of people who could not previously drive, work or travel would have the opportunity to do so. They would neither fear reporting crimes against them nor fear seeking medical attention for their sick and dying. Many will be uplifted from grinding poverty and have the dignity to provide for themselves rather than having to live off a citizen friend or family member. The day this bill becomes law will be the most important day of their lives.

With this many lives in the balance and their personal stake so high, our society should be strained under the voice of their pleas, but it is not. Instead we hear ample condemnation of the 11 million. We hear them called parasites, invaders, secret jihadists, illegals, lawbreakers and slackers.

The attacks against the 11 million are not directed at individuals, they are directed at an entire class of people. 1 out of every 30 people in America is in this class. It's likely that every American knows many undocumented immigrants, even if they do not know specifically who they are.  These are the perils of hurling insults at ghostly apparitions. The "invader parasite" could be closer to you than you think.

Pick a random friend of yours, and pretend they violated some law (without hurting anyone) at some point in their lives, and if anyone ever found out they would lose their job, most of their rights and would have to be separated from their family. You do not need to pretend, because this is reality. Someone you know is unlawfully present in America and that's a statistical inevitability.

The sad reality is, few of the 11 million can tolerate the personal risk that comes along with "coming out" to defend their class against these characterizations. Those that do have their voices drowned out by their opponents  who relish savagely denigrating a class of people they know can not fight back. They know that the 11 million live closeted lives. All their lives they've lived with their heads down, mowed lawns, blown leaves, waited tables, watched children, cleaned houses, built walls brick by brick, knowing that they were only one unlucky encounter with ICE away from being put into removal proceedings.

In Arizona there was a time when any interaction with the police could see them deported. I wonder if the loudest opponents of these immigrants know what it feels like to see a loved one leave your residence and wonder if you will ever see them again. It's a feeling you wouldn't wish on your enemies, let alone your neighbors.

Those fighting for equality are always at a disadvantage against those from whom they seek it. To remedy this great inequity, I have taken it upon myself to be a voice of the 11 million. I will declare my bias openly, I am a champion of reform. I want to see these people realize the potential that I know they have. I want them to live free of fear, and to have happy and fulfilling lives. I don't want them to just dream the American dream, I want them to live it, and to promote it for others like I promote it for them.