Immigration reform is a contentious issue among politicians and Americans, and it has been the subject of fierce debates for decades. Recently, President Obama proposed a plan that is moving in the right direction. He announced a new program that would take two steps to advance the progress of family based immigration.
The Immigration Reform Bill
The Washington Post recently summarized the President’s actions, “[1] It would offer a legal reprieve to the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who’ve resided in the country for at least five years…[2] It would expand a 2012 program that allowed young immigrants, under 30 years old, who arrived as children to apply for a deportation deferral and who are now here legally.”
Sometimes heavy political jargon can get confusing, so what does this really mean? Obama initially planned to change the outdated, discriminatory policies that affect about a third of people in America, as 27% of the U.S. population is foreign born. This bill specifically grants rights to parents of immigrant children — about three in four immigrant children in the United States are U.S. citizens, so this a substantial number of people would benefit. The best immigration attorneys fight for their clients to make sure if they qualify for protection under the new law, they get it and they are treated fairly.
The Bill’s Current Status
The best immigration attorneys were initially excited about this program, but it seems that progress has slowed in the past few months. The legalization of undocumented immigrants is a hot button issue that has many members of the United States Congress fired up and ready to fight for, and this is delaying passage of the Immigration Reform Bill. Reports on family based immigration news suggest that members of Congress can’t agree and unify their opinions, and this could mean that no action will take place.
What You Can Do about It
The best immigration attorneys know that one of the most important things concerned people can do is contact good immigration lawyers. The complex and often biased representation of immigration reform in the news can be hard for anyone to understand, and immigration lawyers are informed of all the latest laws so they can advocate for their clients.
Anyone who is concerned about immigration reform and the egregious mistakes made by politicians in the past should begin by educating themselves on the history and current state of policies in the United States. The only way to open a dialogue and have a healthy debate about this issue that affects a raft of people in this country is to keep talking about it, and make sure we change the norm. Many political figures have a blinkered view of the state of immigration reform, and it’s up to innovative activists to show them just how outdated these policies are.
What are your thoughts on immigration reform? Do you have any opinions on how to make sure it remains a top issue, despite the current delay in Congress? If you have any thoughts, opinions, or would like to share a personal story related to immigration, please share them with us in a comment below. See this link for more references.