Keep ’em coming!
Immig expert reflects on 25 years with News
This month marks my 25th year writing this column for the New York Daily News. It has been a privilege and an honor to have answered thousands of your questions, and from time to time, commented on the ongoing debate over immigration law and policy.
Here are just a few of the issues I’ve covered in the past 25 years: l In 1994, just starting as a columnist, I debated California Gov. Pete Wilson in the paper’s Op-Ed page about his anti-immigrant Proposition 187. The voters supported the law, but the courts found it unconstitutional. The struggle over Prop. 187 propelled California’s immigrant community toward broad social action, such that they now dominate California politics. l In 1996, I analyzed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act signed by President Bill Clinton. It was the most restrictive immigration law since the notorious McCarran Act of 1952. Particularly harmful was the “unlawful presence” bar to permanent residence. Prior to this law, if you were unlawfully here but had a relative or employer willing to sponsor you, you had a clear path to legal status. Now, for many, getting legal status is impossible. l In 2006-2007, and again in 2013, I was explaining proposed immigration reform legislation with a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. It was not to be. While I relish commenting on the immigration politics of the day (I got particular pleasure when a News headlinewriter titled my 2007 immigration reform Op-Ed “Take to the Streets”), my work centers on helping readers make sense of our complex immigration laws. Not surprisingly, one of the most popular topics is how to get U.S. citizenship.
Of course, to naturalize, you must first get a green card. So, I get many letters and emails with questions about family immigration — that’s the way most people get green cards.
With readers gravitating to the Internet for information, I now get questions from around the country and around the world. U.S. immigration law is the same everywhere, so my answers apply whether a question comes from Manhattan, Michigan or Mumbai.
Send me your questions, comments and concerns. Immigration laws can still work for you. Apply while you can.
Allan Wernick is an attorney and director of the City University of New York’s Citizenship Now! project. Send questions and comments to Allan Wernick, New York Daily News, 4 New York Plaza, New York, N.Y., 10004 or email to questions@allanwernick.com. Follow him on Twitter @awernick.