Asian-Americans to U.S. Congress: Reduce backlogs

AAJC chief says current visa numbers separate families for decades

By Rhony Laigo

Asian-Americans are tired of waiting to be reunited with their families. Arguably one of the better contributors to the American economy owing to their high educational level and creativity, Asian-Americans would like Congress to address the long backlogs in the family-based petitions so they can be reunited with their loved ones quicker and without waiting for decades.

In Thursday’s  national telebriefing hosted by New American Media, one of the three speakers, President and Executive Director of Asian American Justice Center Mee Moua, said the ongoing debate on immigration reform is of utmost importance for Asians because 90 percent of Asian-Americans come to the United States through family-based petitions. She said 60 percent of Asian Americans living in the U.S. are immigrants and that “nearly half of the 4.3 million people in worldwide family backlog are those who are now sitting and waiting in Asia to be reunited with their families here in the United States.”

In addition, Moua said that for every 11 undocumented immigrant in the U.S., one is an Asian-American, who most likely came to the U.S. legally but because of backlogs may have overstayed their visas and are now living here without legal status.

Moua also revealed that for every 10 American DREAMers – those who were brought here when they were young through no fault of their own – one is an Asian-American. They are so-called DREAMers, who are hoping that the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act become a reality. “Today, we have an Asian or a Pacific Islander family member who too is living under the shadow. Many of our young people are much  part of the Dreamer movement,” Moua said. “This is why we feel very  strongly (about the immigration reform) to help procure a clear and meaningful path to citizenship for DREAMers.”

Moua also underscored what she intimated were undesirable working conditions that some Asians have suffered at the hands of their employers. According to Moua, many are being denied of their workers’ rights and are being exploited by “unscrupulous employers who pay their workers substandard wages,” especially in places where the immigrant is employed under the H1-B worker visa program – the first step for them to become permanent residents but only if sponsored by their employers if no relatives are qualified to do so.

“This is not just a Latino issue,” Moua said, “Asians are one of the most diverse populations and we have to monitor and protect (the immigration system) from further erosion and so, we’re asking our leaders to address these inhumane backlogs in the procurement of immigrant visas.” Moua said that as “a matter of public policy, a sensible and a comprehensive immigration reform will benefit our community and will solve the “tremendous hardship” that many immigrant families are going through.

She also said that the current “enforcement only” method that the Department of Homeland Security is employing is separating many families while instilling scare in the community. Such method “makes the community less safe” because she said some are being stopped and interrogated if not harassed because “they are perceived to be foreign-sounding people,” not to mention that some are not proficient in the English language. 

According to Moua,  who was born in Laos and immigrated in 1978, her family had suffered from the same experience when her father tried to petition her grandfather and a brother but who both died before setting foot on U.S. soil. She said her father then was not qualified to file the petitions because of his financial status. “My parents couldn’t find a job even when they were already citizens. And when he was in a position to qualify, he couldn’t do it anymore because (they) have passed away.”

She said, “Many of us in our communities are separated by decades and decades (of long waits). This is a window of opportunity for (the lawmakers) to exert leadership so that our families will feel secure, safe and be reunited…and to take advantage of the American Dream to live in the U.S. and contribute to the economic vitality of this country.” 

Apart from Moua, those who spoke in the telebriefing included Angela Kelley, vice president for Immigration Policy and Advocacy, Center for American Progress, and Frank Sharry, founder and executive director, America’s Voice. It was moderated by NAM’s Irma Herrera.

For his part, Sharry said he believes the time has come for both parties to pass an immigration reform, citing last presidential elections as a gauge. He said that if the GOP wants to regain being competitive, the Republicans need to get the votes of the fastest growing groups who are Latinos and Asians. “Unless they get it right they will have a difficult time winning the Senate and retaking the White House.”

“The good news is, that is the central conversation that we’re having. It is about the 11 million. It is not about much about enforcement…unlike what was discussed in the last election debate,” Kelley contributed. But she said that the requirements and the waiting time, since the undocumented may have to go in the back of the line “have to be achievable. She added the proposal to treat the undocumented as “DREAMers” – who will only get work permits but must find a way to become citizens thru marriage or thru and employer – is “untennable.”

Kelley added that another important fact is that while many states now allow for same sex marriage, gay couples are barred from petitioning their spouses because the current policy of the DHS is that marriage is between a man and a woman.