Latino leaders have faith in immigration reform despite Republican Scott Brown's victory over Democrat Martha Coakley in the race for the Massachusetts Senate seat left open after the death of Edward Kennedy. 

"Immigration reform is good today and it's good tomorrow. What happened yesterday does not matter," said California Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA District 31), in a forum on the state of Latino community issues after Barack Obama's first year in government. 

The legalization of millions of undocumented immigrants should take place "not just because we want it, but because the country needs it," said Becerra during the conference, which was sponsored by the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). 

The Democrats needed Coakley to win to maintain the 60-vote majority needed to avoid filibusters by the Republicans and to pass Obama's legislative agenda, including health care reform. 

The Democratic legislator from Illinois, Luis Gutierrez, who authored an immigration reform bill in the House of Representatives, said that it is important "to reach out to the base," which includes businessmen, unions, and religious groups that support fairer treatment for immigrants. 

Claudine Karasik, lawyer for MALDEF, said that the Democrats controlling the White House and both houses of Congress are not the only ones responsible for passing immigration reform.  Rather, she said, members of the community as well must call their representatives and keep themselves well-informed. 

Vice President of the New Democratic Network (NDN), Andres Ramirez, questioned Republicans for their obstructionist tactics, although he recognized that the Democrats should do a better job in motivating voters. 

Immigration experts said that Republicans need to improve their falling approval by Latinos in the legislative elections this year and the presidential election in 2012, which is why immigration reform is an opportunity of which they should take advantage.

In the past, the now deceased Senator Kennedy (MA) proposed an initiative with his Republican colleague John McCain (AZ); now activists hope that in the coming weeks, the Democratic Senator Charles Schumer (NY) will present a proposal with the support of his Republican colleague Lindsey Graham (SC).   

America's Voice [an organization that advocates for comprehensive and humane immigration reform] Founder and Executive Director Frank Sharry indicated that voters are hoping for actions that will strengthen the economy, and affirmed that "it is time to move forward" to encourage bipartisan efforts to change the immigration system. 

Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), said that "the next 100 days offer us a window of opportunity that we should not let go by." He recognized, however, that the path to immigration reform will be difficult, but pointed out that the pro-immigrant movement has a broad base.