Obama immigration proposal could impact Las Vegas families
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - The Obama administration is considering a new policy to keep immigrant families together as they wait to apply for citizenship.
In 1996, a law was created that prevented deported illegal immigrants from returning to the United States for several years, even if their spouse or child is an American citizen. Now, the Obama administration is looking to make it easier for undocumented immigrants from mixed citizenship families to obtain legal status.
The Nevada State Democratic Party alongside the Latin chamber of commerce hosted a gathering to show support for recent changes proposed by the Obama administration, and the department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“It is long overdue and the president finally had to take steps to do something,” said Lucy Flores, Assemblywoman for the 28th district.
Under the current system, undocumented spouses and children of American citizens are required to leave the country and their families as they complete the legal immigration process, which can oftentimes take more than a year to do.
“Now with this, it will be a lot simpler, which is something that we have to give thanks to President Obama. This is far and beyond what needed to be done,” said supporter Astrid Silva.
Under the proposed changes, those spouses and children would be able to file a waiver, potentially allowing them to stay in the country while they complete the immigration process.
“If the waiver is not approved, then they would still have to leave the country,” said Flores. “But, if it is approved, then they can actually be here with their family and not have to be separated while they finish their legalization process.”
The proposal is at least several months away from being implemented, and it will still have to overcome several hurdles, including critics who say the policy change offers backdoor amnesty to those who broke the law.
We reached out to the state's republican party for a comment, but we haven't heard back just yet.
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Specialist - Jan 11, 2012 12:47 AM
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