Over the past year, there has been been more talk than action on comprehensive immigration reform. But that hasn't deterred advocates here in the Prairie State. Members of Illinois' congressional delegation have penned letters to the president and called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to put an end to workplace raids. At the same time, everyday citizens have marched by the thousands to keep the pressure on the White House and Congress.

Yet no one has been more active than Illinois' own Rep. Luis Gutierrez who, at an event last November, put a human face on the millions of American families being torn apart under current federal laws.  That rally inspired his historic "family unity tour," which traveled to 21 states before culminating in Chicago this June.  All along the way, the Chicago Democrat pledged to bring forward a comprehensive reform bill during the 111th Congress.

In October, Gutierrez took a step forward when he he outlined the 10 principles he sees as essential to a fair (and politically viable) overhaul of the nation's broken immigration laws, describing "justice for immigrants" as "today's civil rights struggle."  Tomorrow, he'll take the next step.

At a noon-time news conference on Capitol Hill, Gutierrez plans to unveil the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP).  At his side will be fellow-Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, along with other members of the Progressive, Hispanic, Black, and Asian Pacific American caucuses. In a Huffington Post entry today, Gutierrez writes that Congress can't delay any longer:

This is a crisis. It's a crisis of human and civil rights, it's a crisis of our economy and our workforce, and it's a crisis of national security. This is why we cannot wait any longer [...]

We've waited a long time for this -- a workable solution to our immigration crisis.

We've waited for laws that don't stop at securing our border, but go further to secure our economy, protect our workforce and recognize the proud tradition of immigrants seeking the American Dream. We've waited for it to be taken up by this Congress and our President. And the time for waiting is over.

Folks here in Illinois won't have until tomorrow to get the details though. Tonight Gutierrez, Schakowsky, and our friends over at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights are holding two statewide telephone townhalls (one in English and Spanish) where residents can "hear about what is in the bill, how it effects real people, and what we need to do to pass it." Find out how to connect here. And check back for more details on the bill tomorrow.