Visa Lawyer Blog
With some of Speaker of the House John Boehner’s recent statements regarding immigration reform, we are reminded of what many have worked hard to try and accomplish within the immigration system. There are many goals and hopes that people have for 2014. Some of these goals and hopes include:
– A decrease in deportations of people who overstay or are not here legally and have spouses and children in the U.S. so they may not be torn apart from their families.
– Passing immigration reform so there is a process in place to help those who have no status in the U.S. get on the road to eventually achieving their dreams of becoming U.S. citizens.
– Improving job opportunities for immigrants whose special skills help stimulate the market through their innovation, ingenuity, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
– A more streamlined immigration process that will increase cases being decided by USCIS so that many people will not be kept waiting for their cases and can move forward with their lives
While these goals may seem lofty right now, Mr. Boehner’s stance has softened enough that he is moving away from appeasing those Tea Party members who have been against these goals from the start. Immigration advocates say that Mr. Boehner’s end-of-year rant against Tea Party groups — in which he said they had “lost all credibility” — is an indicator of what he will do this year on immigration. The groups are the same ones that hope to rally the Republican base against an immigration compromise, and while Mr. Boehner cannot say so publicly, he will have more room to maneuver on the issue if he feels free to disregard the arguments from those organizations. Let us hope that through Mr. Boehner, the House can move forward on immigration reform and bring about these goals and hopes for this new year.