Immigrants shouldn't be relegated to a second-class social position because of their birthplace any more than should any native-born person because of the color of his or her skin. Undocumented immigrants are demonized, blamed for a lot of problems, are at the bottom rung, and live in fear of deportation. The parallel is not exact, of course, but as Sen. Robert Menendez said, it is the "civil rights issue of our time."

The struggle to get Senate passage has been tremendous so cut them a little slack if they felt cheerful.