Forward on immigration reform
Imarched in the May Day Solidarity march to honor my parents and the thousands of families in Wisconsin who will benefit from administrative immigration relief announced by President Barack Obama last November.
My siblings and I are all U.S. citizens. I am a 23-year-old cosmetologist, my older brother is an engineer and my younger brother is a college student. We are proud of how our parents raised us and how hard they worked to create a better future for us.
My parents fit the qualifications for administrative relief as announced by the president: They are the parents of U.S. citizens, have been in the United States for more than five years and have good moral character. They came to the U.S. as a married couple 26 years ago, in 1989. They pay taxes, work hard and are positive role models and loving parents.
Our country’s immigration laws have made it impossible for them to get papers.
Under the family immigration system, changes in the law require an undocumented family member being petitioned by a U.S. citizen to leave the country. If the undocumented person has been undocumented for more than a year that person has to wait 10 years outside of the country to apply for a visa. You can request “forgiveness” to have this block removed but the standard is high and a person can wait outside the U.S. for as long as three years before finding out if the exception has been granted.
We are a very close family and our parents were always worried to leave our side. Also, both my parents need to work to support us and help us achieve our educational goals. We don’t want to be separated.
When my family heard the news of administrative relief we were overjoyed and felt that we could finally come out of the shadows. We thought about how wonderful it would be to visit our family in Mexico. My father’s dad was very sick and we were hopeful we would see him before he passed. Unfortunately, we did not have that chance.
Now the news that the implementation of this process has been blocked in the courts makes us feel terrible. It is hard to put into words.
My family is deeply affected by this delay. My mom went ahead with the family petition under the current system with the expectation that applications for parents would be available this May, and they would not have to leave the country to adjust their legal status.
Legal experts think this lawsuit is just part of a delay strategy, but who would want to delay the implementation of something so good for so many families?
We marched on May Day to let Gov. Scott Walker know that Wisconsin should not be a part of this shameful and mean-spirited lawsuit that will ultimately be rejected by the courts. We want to be treated as hardworking people and not like criminals.
The ability of 34,000 families in Wisconsin to finally secure legal documents to work, and acquire a state driver’s license and auto insurance, can only help Wisconsin’s economy by generating more spending in education, insurance, job creation and tax contributions.
But the benefits are not only economic. So many of the problems we have in our society — crime, despair — require a supportive and loving family to help children face these problems. We need our government to help keep families strong and united, not separate and undermining strong families. Vicky Calderon is a member of Voces de la Frontera of Milwaukee.