A Path To Legalization for Immigrants Already in the United States

WEST ORANGE, N.J. - March 13, 2013 - PRLog -- There are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States.  Comprehensive immigration reform would provide these immigrants with a path to legal status and ultimately earned citizenship.  Is Congress really ready to implement the important changes that are needed for an effective and seamless integration?

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Reasonable criteria may include some or all of the following:

1)  Learning English;

2)  Having a Job;

3)  Maintaining a criminal-free background;

4)  Paying a modest fee and back taxes.

Whatever Congress decides, fines should not be excessive, exemptions should be made for vulnerable populations, and immigrants should not have to return to their country of origin to apply for legal status or citizenship.  Such measures would only deter participation in the legalization process.  Creating a path to citizenship for the undocumented immigrant would not only open a door to a better life for those who desire to work hard and contribute in a positive way to American society, but it would also create incentives for immigrants to become active participants in the American culture, economy and politics.  

I guess it's hard to understand for someone who is not an immigrant, though it is quite difficult to comprehend how anyone in the United States would not see themselves as an immigrant.  Surely, we all came from somewhere!  Even our beloved members of Congress, some of who may be many generations removed from their ancestral immigrants going back two centuries ago, still to this day qualify as immigrants.  Of course, one must understand, that it is not through fault of their own that they do not feel what it is like to live in the shadows of society, a situation that offends the dignity of all human beings, but as a more recent immigrant to this country I can describe what it's like.  

You feel scared, you feel like a second class citizen, you feel as if whatever you do in life could result in dire, irrational, consequences.  Imagine for a moment what it would be like if you were in the mood for a snickers bar and you popped some change into a vending machine to retrieve your tasty treat.  Suddenly, the machine returns your change and you have to reach into the dispenser to collect your change.  When you look for your change, you realize someone left some change behind.  What do you do?  Do you take the change and use it for your snickers bar?  Do you take the change and keep it for future use?  Many of us would just consider it a "finders keepers" type of situation and wouldn't think twice about the extra change.  

Now imagine, you are in a foreign country, do not speak the language and do not understand the laws of that country.  Would taking the change out of the dispenser and keeping it for yourself mean you just committed a crime?  If you were charged with such a crime would it stay on your record?  Would your new criminal record now reflect badly on you when you apply for a job, a personal loan or admission to school?  What happens if you do get charged with a misdemeanor and you feel you are not guilty or you disagree with the charge?  How do you defend yourself without exposing the fact that you do not know the law or cannot speak the language?  Cultural sensitivities might also be a factor.  How will this reflect on my family?  What will others in my community think of me after they see I've just committed a crime?  Where can I go to explain what happened?

The above example, though quite simple, is meant to have people reflect on what it is like to live under the magnifying glass of disjointed, ill defined, and contradictory law present in our current immigration policy.  Even the simplest decisions need to be filtered and analyzed through the complex maze of immigration law.  It's paralyzing!  

To drive the point home a little further, in a way that most in Congress members can understand, imagine having to resort to the complexity of the tax code every time you wanted to buy a cup of coffee?  This is a reality in most undocumented immigrant's lives.  Not literally because I don't think that would be possible, but it does disrupt one's life in the sense that one is never really sure what he/she is allowed to do at any given time.

Congress must take a page from the teachings of one of man's oldest disciplines, "Anthropology".  "The most important concept for civilized living is that the human being understand that there is a sense of order in their lives."  That is part of what makes living in the United States very appealing to many immigrants.  It is easier to plan for a future and start a legacy when you can somewhat predict the outcome of that future through well reasoned estimates.  It's a simple concept and a main factor that allowed the human species to survive and evolve over so many years.  Otherwise, we would all wonder if we would survive through the night whenever the sun went down.

Additionally, within the 11 million undocumented immigrant population, there are an estimated 50,000 to 65,000 undocumented students who graduate from American high schools each year.  Many came to the United States at a young age, have grown up in American schools, developed American values, and are American in every sense except their citizenship.  Trust Mediation supports inclusion of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act in a comprehensive immigration reform bill.  The DREAM Act would provide this select group of immigrant students, who at this time are only eligible for a two-year temporary status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a permanent path to citizenship.

If you would like to know more about recent changes in immigration law, please contact Trust Mediation (862) 233-6228 or on line at www.trustmediation1.com.