A new report and good news to all, but is only a partial victory. We need to work harder to really succeed. This message came from a friend of mine The Rev. Fidel "Butch" Montoya Greetings! After years of working and praying for immigration reform for families, today is an historic day for our county. The United States Senate, in a bi-partisan vote of 68 – 32, approved S.744 – the bill that at long last which will begin to address the issues of a dysfunctional and outdated immigration system. While S.744 passed in the Senate, in order for immigration reform that will address the needs of more than 11 million undocumented immigrants, the House of Representatives must pass immigration reform legislation as well. So as we give praise to the Lord for listening to the cries and prayers of His people, those who continue to oppose reform, will begin to work even harder to defeat any kind of immigration reform legislation. We must continue to work for immigration reform for families in the House of Representatives. Our work is not done! Now is not the time to assume immigration reform will pass the House. Each of us must call or email our Representative in the House to let them know we want a similar bill to pass in the House. While we perform our civic duty by making the Representatives in the House work diligently and in bi-partisan manner and work together for passage of immigration reform, we must continue to pray for the day that immigration reform for families is signed into law. Many of us have been in this struggle for many years, trusting that the Congress would see the need to reform our immigration system. Now we are at the point to work with the House of Representatives, and as pastors and faith-leaders, continue to exert our leadership and Godly influence. Frank Sherry, Director of America’s Voice created a list of what was included in the bill that passed the United States Senate. This is truly an historic day! Path to citizenship for vast majority of the 11 million!!! While in RPI status, immigrants can work, travel and live without fear of deportation Reunification of many families separated by deportation 5 year path to citizenship for DREAMers DACA recipients will have RPI status expedited Farm workers will get a ‘blue card’ and will be on a 5 year path to citizenship Expedited path for those already here in a temporary status Families that have spent years, even decades waiting for their turn in line will finally be reunited Spouses and children of LPRs would be considered immediate family members and therefore would no longer be subject to arbitrary visa caps Allows DREAMers to become citizens through military service Immigrants on the path to citizenship can pay fees in installments Individuals with final removal orders may be eligible for RPI status Beacons for those toiling at the border New temporary worker programs that protects immigrant workers and American labor force All workers, including RPIs, will be treated equally by the tax system and eligible for tax credits Spouses of H-1B holders will now be able to work Immigration Judges will have some flexibility to consider individual factors when making decisions Children and the mentally disabled will be eligible for court appointed counsel in immigration proceedings Removal of filing deadline for asylum seekers Encourages immigrant integration through more targeted programs and foundations to help legal immigrants become citizens Inclusion of POWER Act, bolsters legal remedies to immigrant workers who are fired in violation of labor laws Strict limits on solitary confinement in immigration detention facilities Asylum applicants will be granted work authorization within 180 days of filing an application Provides immigration status to certain battered spouses and children Prohibit ICE from conducting raids/arrests outside schools, churches, hospitals and other “sensitive locations” Prohibits deportation of immigrants for a crime that wasn’t a deportable/inadmissible offense when committed Makes it substantially easier for both LPRs and non-LPRs to qualify for cancellation of removal, and removes the cap on the number of cancellations that DOJ/DHS can grant in a year Protects the ability of W visa holders (essential workers) to change jobs Ensures access to affordable housing for battered immigrants Encourages alternatives to immigration detention More protections for workers recruited abroad Stricter penalties for notary fraud Requires a use-of-force policy among all DHS agencies Future work-visa holders will be able to self-petition for green cards rather than relying on employers to decide whether they can call America home for good We must continue to work hard to ensure that the House passes immigration reform. We must continue to pray as hard asking for wisdom and a spirit of collaboration for members of the House of Representatives. Blessings/Bendiciones, Fidel “Butch” Montoya
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 05:31:53 +0000
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