Reunifying immigrant families

[William769]

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced an amendment today to the 2007 immigration reform act that would remove barriers to reunification of the nuclear families of lawful permanent residents.

The amendment would reclassify the spouses and minor children of lawful permanent immigrants as “immediate relatives” thus exempting them from visa caps.

“The United States is a country built by immigrants, but our laws are tearing legal immigrant families apart,” Clinton said.

According to the State Department, currently hundreds of thousands of lawful permanent residents are waiting for their spouses’ or children’s green card petitions to be processed. Due to backlogs, the current waiting time is five to 10 years. During this waiting period, the spouse or child is not allowed to enter the U.S., even for a brief visit.

http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2007/05/23/reunifying-immigrant-families/