Many Laws, Little Justice

Tomorrow morning I will accompany a family of 5 to a meeting with ICE deportation and removal officers in Seattle. This could be the final opportunity for the family to request not justice, but mercy from our government.









Originally from the Philippines, the Santos* family came to the states nearly 23 years ago to join other family members here. Grandparents had served with U.S. military and diplomatic officers through the 1980s, and had made petitions to bring family members to the U.S. The family was hopeful. Unfortunately, many years passed while they awaited their place in the quota line. Desperate, the Santos obtained their own temporary visas to enter the U.S. They would wait here for the permanent visa to be available. While waiting, the petitioning parent died -- ten years after filing. The temporary permissions expired. Legal options evaporated. The government denied their cases, as did the immigration judges and appeals courts. The facts are somewhat sympathetic, (long time in the U.S., valued community members with dozens or hundreds of relatives, long time tax-payers, lack of criminal involvement) but the government was not willing to agree that they should be able to stay in the United States. The reason --These people "jumped the line," and came to the U.S. without waiting their turn. Which might never have come.







What will happen now? ICE unquestionably has the law on its side -- it has all the right to arrest and detain all 4 adults, (3 of whom suffer from serious health and psychological conditions) and to place the 13 year old minor U.S. citizen, born here, in some sort of government custody.







I don't know what will happen tomorrow for the Santos'. Their plight illustrates why our immigration laws need to be changed. Families who have the legal right to bring relatives, and who have helped our country should not have to face cruel separation of decades before reuniting, only to have the chance taken away. Families who become successful parts of our communities should not have to depend on the ... kindness of a deportation officer ...

There are many laws that apply, but little chance for justice for this family or those like them.
It is quite possible that ICE will show some compassion and allow the family to stay longer while awaiting a new law, or to complete a course of treatment. We will hope for that.







President Obama is leading the beginning of an important discussion about immigrants in our country. Recently he said. "We can't tolerate a system where people come into the U.S. in violation of our law." We must have a way to regularize or "clarify" the status of people who come into our country in this way. We can -- indeed we must do this.











*names changed.

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What is our Immigration Policy?

Immigrants – people from other countries - make up nearly 10% of the population, and 15% of all workers in Washington. This state in particular has been built and developed by immigrants and their families. Washington is not unique – most other states have similar populations. One would logically assume that our country supports policies that encourage immigrants to come to the United States. However this has not been true for many years, and at this point, it appears that we have no discernible immigration policy.

On the one hand -- millions of immigrants have come illegally, without documents, and have entered the workforce and become part of our communities. As a result, in every community there are families living in the shadows, afraid that the next contact with the police, school or hospital will bring ICE deportation officers to their door. On the other hand, our relative visa policies force other families to endure decades of separation while waiting for a loved one to be able to come to the United States. Additionally, businesses are stymied due to their inability to find enough qualified workers, and are justifiably afraid of government enforcement should they accidentally hire a worker who is unauthorized.

How did this happen? At this time it is estimated that over 12 million undocumented immigrants reside in the U.S. This is a huge number of people who have no options to become legal, and who cannot simply leave the U.S. without great disruption to families and work relationships established over many years. The undocumented or illegal population is just one part of a complex problem. The legal immigration system in place simply cannot handle the demands placed on it by legitimate businesses seeking employees, and by innocent families seeking to reunite with loved ones. Our visa system includes limits set in the 1950s with restrictions added in the 1990s which cannot meet the needs of the economy today.

Our communities of families as well as businesses deserve a better immigration system. What's more important – the country's security depends on the ability to know who is in the U.S., and who should be allowed in or kept outside of the country. There are many factors for all of us to consider.

This summer and fall, President Obama and members of Congress will begin work to reform our immigration laws. Earlier this month one effort, called Reform Immigration for America, or RIFA, launched its campaign. There will be intense lobbying and media campaigns promoting and attacking various plans and proposals. What should you do?

Get Informed. Get Active. We can help.

Here are some websites to review to inform your thinking.

http://www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org/
http://www.aila.org/
http://www.aic.org/
http://www.weareoneamerica.org/