Demonstrators are showing that Americans have little appetite for the lack of action in Washington around immigration reform.

In an act of civil disobedience, dozens of local leaders were arrested in front of 26 Federal Plaza in New York yesterday. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is based there.

The stepped up action is needed. Just last week, immigration reform advocates emphasized that the Obama administration is working to outdo the Bush administration on deportations. The current administration is on track to deport 400,000 people this year – doubling Bush's record.

The vast majority, 70 percent, are non criminal deportations. And advocates point out that even minor infractions can land undocumented persons in the supposedly criminal pool.

Compounding the situation for undocumented immigrants and mixed status families is the backlog in immigration courts. The number of cases awaiting resolution before the courts reached a new all-time high of approximately 244,000 at the end of March, according to Syracuse University's TRAC Clearinghouse.

Republicans are trying to keep immigration reform at bay by leaning on an enforcement-first demand – a line they keep extending further and further out. But the administration surpassing the Bush deportation record begs the question of what would be the magic enforcement number for Republicans?

The answer is none because the Republican are pandering to the fear mongering anti-immigrant crowd that only wants to punish immigrants. Xenophobia and politics over reason.

But the Democratic Party can't lean on Republican opposition. On the campaign trail, President Obama promised comprehensive immigration reform to millions of voters who cast their ballots for him in exchange. Yet, instead of showing leadership and setting a tone for our nation with the facts on immigrants, the president and Democratic leaders are dawdling.

This leads us to ask, who is the boss in Washington – the anti-immigrant lobby or Democrats?