Human rights group calls for immigration reform

A human rights group is calling on the U.S. Congress to undertake immigration reform as a top priority in 2014. Human Rights Watch said federal lawmakers should build on the progress made on fiscal matters at the end of 2013 and begin to overhaul the nation's immigration laws this year in order to find a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented aliens living in the country. "Immigration reform should be a top priority for U.S. lawmakers in 2014," said Alison Parker, Human Rights Watch program director for the United States. "Congress should seize the nationwide support for immigration reform to create a fairer, more effective, more humane system." The call to action is found in the group's annual World Report, which also notes the lack of concrete international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the worldwide reaction to revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden about the U.S. government's domestic and international spying programs.