IMMIGRATION GUIDE (12)
An anti-family immigration bill that will severely prejudice Filipinos has been agreed upon by a bipartisan group of Senators. The bill sacrifices family unity in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens. The bill has still to be debated and approved by the full Senate and then by the House of Representatives and signed by the President before it becomes law. FAMILY CATEGORIES TO BE ELIMINATED
FAMILY CATEGORIES TO BE CAPPED OR LIMITED *IR5 (Parents of U.S. citizens) - capped at 40,000 a year worldwide. This will be divided among all the countries of the world. Parents not given visas will be allowed to visit the U.S. for up to 100 days a year. At present there is no cap on visas for grandparents *F-2A (spouses and minor children of permanent residents or green card holders) - capped at 87,000 a year worldwide. AMNESTY The estimated 12 million illegal aliens now in the United States who entered the U.S. before January 1, 2007, will immediately be given probationary status under a Z visa. Their spouses, elderly parents, and children under 21 will also be given visas. Corky Trinidad has an editorial cartoon in the Honolulu Star Bulletin on May 18 showing Zorro marking the butts of illegal aliens with a Z. Henceforth we will refer to the Z visa as the "Zorro visa". This visa has come under attack as an "amnesty". However, proponents of the bill say it is not. Judge for yourself. "Amnesty" means "the act of an authority (as a government) by which general pardon of an offense is granted often before trial or conviction, esp. to a large group of individuals " Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Vol. I p 71 Illegally entering the United States is a criminal offense. By giving these illegal aliens a Zorro visa, their offense will in effect be pardoned. Z-1 visa grantees must be employed. They must also pay a $5000 fine. They will be required to pay fees that has not been determined. They will also be fingerprinted and given a one day background check CRITICISM OF THE BILL "I don't care how you spin it, this is amnesty," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina. Mitt Romney, the leading Republican presidential contender, reportedly called the plan the "wrong approach" and that it granted "a form of amnesty" on illegal immigrants. He denounced the plan as unfair to the millions of people who have applied to legally immigrate to the U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, a leading Democratic presidential contender reportedly said that it "could devalue the importance of family reunification, replace the current group of undocumented immigrants with a new undocumented population consisting of guest workers who will overstay their visas and potentially drive down wages of American workers." Another Republican presidential contender, Sen. John McCain of Texas, a proponent of the bill, reportedly engaged in a shouting match with his fellow Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas who is against the bill. McCain used the "Fu.." word in attacking Cornyn. McCain, has been dubbed McKennedy, because of his alliance with Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy in proposing a similar amnesty bill last year, which did not materialize. Even a Senator with Latino ancestry, Robert Menendez,D-New Jersey was quoted as saying that the bill "tears families apart". GUEST WORKERS A new Y visa would be created for guest workers and their families. Y-1 -- non-seasonal guest workers, capped at 400,000 plus market-based adjustment. Y-2A- - agricultural seasonal workers, no cap. Y-2B -- nonagricultural seasonal workers, capped at 100,000 plus market-based adjustment Y-3 -- spouses and minor children of Y visa grantees, capped at not more than 20% of total Y-1 numbers. OTHER PROVISIONS
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(Atty. Tipon is from Laoag City. He holds a Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Laws degree from U.P. He practices law and writes law books. Office: 905 Umi St., Suite 201, Honolulu, HI 96819. Tel. (808) 847-1601. E-mail: filamlaw@yahoo.com. Website: www.ImmigrationServicesUSA.com. Listen to KNDI radio, 1270 on your AM radio dial, every Friday at 6:30-7:30 AM. This article is for general information only and is not intended as legal advice.) |