NO AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS
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Posted on 04/03/2006 4:58:38 AM PDT by b2bhandshake
In a land built by immigrants, there is a renewed deliberation on Capital Hill over immigration. yet in all the debate a small economically significant issue still remains below the radar screen of policy makers. It involves the unification of Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs or Green Card Holders) with their spouses. The problem is costing heartache to thousands of immigrants and costs the American economy about 4.2 billion dollars a year.
The issue is simple: Legal Permanent Residents who have opted to get married to foreigners are unable to be united with their spouses and young families. The foreign spouse of a US Green Card holder must wait for approval of an "immigrant visa" from the State Department before entering the US. Due to a backlog in processing, such visas can take a upwards of FIVE YEARS to be approved. In the interim, the spouse cannot enter the US on any other visas, or as a visitor. In a land of "family values" it appears that most Americans do not even know this situation exists.
Meanwhile:
(1) Visitors and non-immigrants coming to the US on temporary visas for work, business or studies (including on H1, L1, B, and F1 visas) can sponsor their dependant spouses to travel along with them.
(2) American citizens can sponsor their spouses to come to the US in non-immigrant status and then convert to an immigrant status under the Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act (the "LIFE Act")
LPRs are in a uniquely disadvantaged situation.
Costly, Invisible and Unfair?
The issue remains invisible and under the radar-screen because of the reportedly "minuscule" number of people impacted. Though there are no official figures on the number of people impacted, grassroots lobbying groups like unitefamilies.org estimate that about 700,000 LPRs are suffering the effect. In the corridors of power, this may be a minuscule number since typical immigration discussions involve millions of people. However, the economic impact of this is by no way negligible. Consider the amount of money that the Green Card holders spend in international phone calling and periodic overseas travel, for example. The remittances to support distant families alone is estimated to be around $500 per month, per family, upwards of $4.2 billion dollars a year. This income earned in the USA would otherwise be spent in the US economy and in living the American Dream – if families were re-united.
The issue of Lawful Permanent Residents torn from their families for years is not a new problem. A mechanism to unite families of LPRs was created by the Legal Immigration Family Equity Act of 2000 (the LIFE Act) by the introduction of a "V" Visa, signed into law by President Bush. Unfortunately expired and is no longer available. In nearby Canada, on the other hand, Lawful Permanent Residents are able to bring their spouses there right away. It is the same in Australia and many other countries.
Almost every year new bills addressing this issue are introduced in the Congress by a few concerned congressmen, but the bills don't get past the Judiciary committee. For instance, HR1823 and HR4448 are currently in the US Congress and remain unnoticed by most lawmakers. The proposal for reviving the visa is based on something that, unfortunately, has little controversy. Family unit among foreigners does not rate highly these days.
Passing a bill into law is not a small matter. But until this happens, families of Green Card holders will have to wait outside our borders and the economy will continue to loose over 4 billion dollars a year.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ekaterina Atanasova lives in Eliot, Maine and works in Portsmouth She is a permanent resident of the US with an "exiled"’ husband living abroad. She is a member of unitefamilies.org.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Would that satisfy you? I'll bet it would.
But until they're repealed,if you miss your family that much,go back home to be with them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They're talking about Green Card holders...the most "legal" kind of immigrant we have in this country.
My husband had a "Green Card," but was naturalized a few years ago.
A "Green Card" immigrant, pays federal and state taxes, can be drafted, etc.
Irrelevant. The visa holder AND THE SPOUSE are expected to leave at the end of their term of VISIT. What is it about the word PERMANENT that folks don't understand.
"(2) American citizens can sponsor their spouses to come to the US in non-immigrant status and then convert to an immigrant status under the Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act (the "LIFE Act")"
So?? We're talking about CITIZENS here. Citizens have rights that "permanent legal residents" do not.
"LPRs are in a uniquely disadvantaged situation."
So they are.
"Costly, Invisible and Unfair? "
Actually, no. Them's the rules--follow'em or go home.
This really is a pathetic situation. If the spouse was in the U.S. with the Legal Permanent Resident, the souse would get LPR status simulktaneously. But if they had to travel out of the country, even for an emergency, then they have to wait years , maybe even decades, before they are even allowed to enter the county. It is really sad these spouses get stranded while Bush is giving amnesty to illegals.
But until they're repealed,if you miss your family that much,go back home to be with them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These are the spouses of LEGAL immigrants. It's the ridiculus U.S. immigration laws that bar spouses from even entering the country as tourists (or other legitimate visas) while there are plans on giving amnesty to illegals. This isn't opening the borders to everyone. It using some compassion and common sense. How would you like it if the government told you that your spouse could not be with you! This is a real crack in the immigration laws that needs to be fixed.
Each and every non-citizen who wishes to live legally here should fulfill the same very,very requirements,regardless of who he/she is married to or related to.
The only concessions we should make with our immigration laws are people who have skills that are exceptional in nature (e.g,rocket scientists) or skills that are vital and in great demand (e.g.,nurses).
No other exceptions.
So in other words, we'll tkae the experts, but screw their wives and kids. They have to stay out. Sounds like a disguised plain anti-immigrant position.
Right, they seem to think Americans are stupid and would fall for every argument that they can make, every piece of propaganda they can spout out they tried every angle to brain wash us but it won't work we want all of them DEPORTED, PERIOD end of story!
So someone that wants to make money claims to be a wife of an illegal immigrant. Next week she is claiming to be a wife of another one.
The problem, if you've not noticed, is she is trying to abide by the laws while Congress rushes headlong to "throw the doors wide open" to those who've stolen their way over the borders. Those of us who've worked with the immigration laws abhor the effort to bend the law to meet illegals while legal immigrants are shoved to the back of the pool.
So, I would suppose she is suggesting if Congress makes a fool of itself again and throws a general amnesty toward illegal aliens, rewarding their unlawful acts, it ought not mind going the full route and blanket any immigrant situation currently open, including petitions of LPR's.
I am an opponent of illegal immigration.
The current guest worker plans that would allow people here illegally to apply are grossly unfair to those who have been trying to enter the country legally and who are seeking residency or citizenship through proper legal means.
In general I believe that changing the law to allow permenant residents to sponsor their spouse for some form of visa while they are considered for permenant residency makes sense.
In order to prevent it from being abused, I can think of three things that should be done.
1) It should only be a temporary visa while permenant residency is being considered.
2) It should require renewal on a regular basis to make sure these "spouses" really are spouses and remain spouses, or they get deported.
3) We need to the law and possibly the constitution so that children of which neither parent is a citizen are not granted automatic citizenship.
I'm all for fairly implemented immigration laws in which immigration is used to benefit the United States.
However, that requires securing our border and aggressively enforcing immigration laws against those who come here illegally.
NO AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS
Contact Your Representatives and RINO Senators
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