Tuesday, December 16, 2014

You want Immigration reform? Secure the Border First ... THEN FIX THIS ...

I would be 100% Behind Fixing This ...

For legal immigrants, a long path to America
They were raised in a cinderblock house too close to the river. Every year, they ran for the hills when howling monsoons broadsided the Philippines and flooded the house. One day, the Bides family had a chance to flee for good — 8,500 miles away to Massachusetts.
But, under US immigration laws, they could not leave together. Instead, they left alone or in pairs, each promising to send for the rest.
In America, immigrants learn quickly that some promises are easy to keep, like wiring money home for groceries. But bringing relatives legally to the United States can take much longer — so long that the Bides family was upset when President Obama said he would grant millions of illegal immigrants reprieves from deportation.
A few days after the president’s announcement last month, the last Bides sister received her visa to come to America.
Leonila Bides had waited more than 14 years.
“It’s very unfair to us because we go in a legal way,” said Esperanza Espinola, 56, on Dec. 5 as she prepared to pick up her sister from the airport. “We have to wait a long time. But it’s OK. Because that’s the way it should be.”
Some newcomers to the United States wait much longer than others because Congress has sorted them into different priority groups. The top priority are the immediate relatives of US citizens — spouses, parents, and unmarried children under 21.
But other eligible relatives, such as citizens’ siblings and adult children, must get in line for one of 226,000 visas a year. Because each country is allotted a limited number of visas, relatives in high-demand nations such as Mexico and the Philippines can wait more than 20 years for a visa. As of last month, more than 4.4 million people were waiting.
The long waiting time is one reason Obama’s action on illegal immigrants infuriated the Bides family. Though the order did not provide a path to citizenship, it is expected to grant 5 million illegal immigrants work permits and temporary permission to stay.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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