Search the Internet          Tips

Lawmaker for immigration reforms

Aziz Haniffa in Washington

A United States congresswoman has promised to ensure inclusive immigration reforms in response to the concerns of Indian Americans and other minority groups over the George W Bush administration's proposed amnesty for illegal Mexican immigrants only.

Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents a Texas constituency that has a significant Indian American population, has convened an immigration task force and unveiled an inclusive and equitable 'Immigration Statement of Principles' to "rectify" problems in the current policy.

The ranking Democrat on the House Immigration and Claims Subcommittee said the statement's main principles are family reunification, earned access to legalisation that would adjust the status of immigrants, enhanced temporary worker programmes and an end to discrimination against legal immigrants.

"America's immigrants need and deserve redemption for what our nation's policies have forced them to go through in terms of tearing families apart and not allowing enough avenues for hard-working, tax-paying immigrants to gain earned access to legalisation," she said.

Lee assured the Indian American and South Asian American community that she would fight to make sure their concerns about proposed immigration changes were addressed.

She expressed discontent with the current statutory ceilings for family-based and employment-based immigrant visas. "There are over one million spouses and children of permanent residents waiting for immigrant visas that will reunite them with their families in the United States," she said.

"It is wrong for US citizens and permanent residents to be forced to choose between the American dream and a united family," she added.

Meanwhile, the proposed amnesty -- only for illegal Mexican immigrants -- has run into rough weather.

President George W Bush, Jr, who hoped to unveil his amnesty plan next month, has told allies in Congress that they should plan a slow, piecemeal process that would eschew sweeping changes until after the 2002 congressional election.

Nearly four million Mexicans live illegally in the United States.

Bush was apparently concerned that expectations surpassed legislative reality, which dictates a gradual liberalisation of the immigration policy over several years and not one massive sweep as he proposed.

Congressman Chris Cannon, the likely point man on immigration in the House of Representatives and the administration, said, "What the president said the last time I talked to him is we've got to be careful not to over-promise."

"This is a system with a lot of resistance," Cannon acknowledged, and noted that while Bush certainly "wants change", he wanted it "in an orderly, reasonable fashion".

Indo-Asian News Service

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report