02/25/13 In Chicago today, families torn apart by the US immigration system gathered to launch the Keeping Families Together Story Tour, which will highlight the voices of those who have been separated from loved ones due to deportation.  Over the next three weeks, more than 500 family members will join the tour and travel more than [...]
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06/01/12 Today is the deadline to comment on the Family Unity Visa Waiver — a proposed change in immigration policy to help keep some immigrant families together.  Until the end of the day today, the public will be able to propose suggestions for the rule, which is, like a lot of rules, a good start…but not [...]
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02/17/12 Last September, a federal court judge allowed a sweeping immigration crackdown law to take effect. That legislation, which was signed into law by Governor Bentley in June of 2011, quickly progressed into a unrelenting nightmare for immigrant families living in the state. Many in America had no idea what was happening, and many still don't.
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01/10/12 On Friday, the Administration announced a welcome policy change known as the "Family Unity Visa Waiver", which enables undocumented spouses of US citizens to apply for a waiver before returning to their home countries to obtain their green cards.
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05/26/11 Earlier today, Senators Menendez (D-NJ), Reid (D-NV), Durbin (D-IL), Schumer (F-NY), Akaka (D-HI), Leahy (D-VT), Bennet (D-CO), and Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Military Families Act. This legislation aims to provide stability and peace of mind for men and women in the military who have close family members who are undocumented. The bill would allow parents, spouses, and children of active duty military servicemen and women to become legal permanent residents.
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12/23/09 CNN tells the story of US Army Captain Cheyne Parham, who has spent most of 2009 fighting the government to get visas for his wife, whom he met while stationed in Korea, and his two young daughters. "I've missed out on all but about one month of their lives," Capt. Parham told CNN -- ever since the Korean consulate refused to give the children passports or visas. The reason? Because his wife was working as a bar waitress at the time, the Korean consulate told Capt. Parham, they weren't sure he was the father of his daughters.
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04/23/09 The New York Times has a poignant piece about family separation today, separation that is occurring across our nation as a result of our broken immigration system. It details the story of Encarnaci�n Bail Romero, a mother who was locked up after an immigration raid in Carthage, Missouri, and her two year old son, Carlos. An immigration lawyer, Christopher Huck, argued: "In many cases, what state courts want to do �conflicts with what federal immigration agencies are supposed to do... then things spiral out of control, and it ends up in these real unfortunate situations."
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03/09/09 In "Pelosi: End raids splitting immigrant families," the San Francisco Gate describes the powerful 5th stop along the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' "Family Unity Tour." The Speaker," who has said securing U.S. borders is a top priority, used the forum to call for a comprehensive immigration program that recognizes the broad contributions immigrants have made to the fabric of the country," according to the San Francisco Gate. She argued the case passionately: "Our future is about our children...Taking parents from their children ... that's un-American."
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03/06/09 In “Immigration reform movement looks to evangelicals, children left behind by deported parents,” the Chicago Tribune describes Congressman Luis Gutierrez’s (D-IL) new “Family Unity Tour,” which launched last weekend and has already reached thousands across the country. In the words of Congressman Luis Gutierrez: "As a nation, as citizens, we cannot wait any longer for fair and just immigration reform. Across America, parents and children, husbands and wives are being torn apart by a system that values quotas over family values and which undermines our economic security in a time of crisis. It is for this reason that U.S. citizens in each of these cities are joining this campaign and standing up for real, lasting change."
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