Karen Weinstock of Siskind Susser Reviews Immigration Reform: DREAM Partially Comes Through To Immigrant Children

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Karen Weinstock

This is such a wonderful and bold step by the President on the immigration issue for the first time

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

June 15th will be marked historically as an important day in the lives of as many as a million young people – the so called DREAMers – living in this country who are American in all but papers. Today, President Obama decided that after years of inaction by Congress on the immigration issue, he would take a bold step and use an existing administrative process to help those in the country since a young age remain legally and have authorization to work in the mean time.

“This is such a wonderful and bold step by the President on the immigration issue for the first time”, said Karen Weinstock, an Atlanta Immigration Attorney and managing attorney of the Atlanta Immigration law firm Siskind Susser (http://www.visalaw.com/atlanta.html) .

“To be eligible, each person must prove that they entered the U.S. before age 16 and be under 30 years of age when filing an application. In addition, the person must prove that they have been in the U.S. for at least five years before June 15, 2012, are currently attending school or have graduated from high school or received a GED or have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or Armed Forces. In addition, each person must prove that they have never committed a felony or serious misdemeanors”, added the Georgia Immigration Attorney.

“Objections to this brave measure are plentiful. Naysayers to immigration reform fall into two groups. One believes we should never grant any kind of legal status to anyone who has violated immigration laws, whether they are personally culpable or not, because they believe that it would send the message to those thinking about coming to the U.S. that if you come illegally to this country, you will eventually be able to get a legal status. Another group complains that the President has exceeded his authority in bypassing Congress and that while the policy being pursued is laudable, the President’s methods are wrong”, explained the immigration lawyer.

“With respect to those who oppose any form of 'amnesty' I would only point out the simple argument that any form of punishment should fit the crime. Just as the death penalty is not the appropriate punishment for failing to stop at a stop sign, a lifetime forced to live in exile is a punishment that is extreme for a person that is illegally present in this country who only committed a minor civil offense by coming here without papers to better their lives. That is particularly true for people who were brought here by their parents as children and had no control over the situation. Should someone who got here as a baby or a small child suffer a lifetime in exile and separation from his family just because his parents brought him or her over here? Would that be the appropriate punishment in that case? Under our current law, that is what they would get,” stated the immigration attorney in the Atlanta area.

“As for sending a message that the U.S. is lax about enforcing our law and the new policy will encourage illegal immigration, I would point out that it has been nearly 25 years since the last large legalization program in the U.S. And that one was a lot more generous. The Reagan legalization program in the 1980s allowed three million individuals to eventually get green cards by being in the country and registering for benefits. That program was supposed to include a new guest worker program that would allow American employers who could demonstrate they were unsuccessful to recruit American workers, to sponsor foreign nationals. Congress could not agree on this critical aspect of immigration reform and it resulted in what many predicted was inevitable – a new build up of an even larger illegally present immigrant population. Reagan was very conservative but even he realized that legalization was the right thing to do,” said the immigration lawyer in Atlanta.

“Which brings us to addressing the procedural naysayers. The political environment for Ronald Reagan was not easy. But it was much easier compared to today. Eight years ago, President Bush introduced the concept of comprehensive immigration reform. He failed – miserably – to move legislation despite getting ample support from Democrats. President Obama found Congress to be even more hostile, particularly one that routinely uses filibusters and member holds so a minority can stop the majority from passing almost any bill. For over a decade, Congress has failed to pass virtually every piece of immigration legislation that has been introduced, big or small, even legislation to help the population that is here legally and never violated any law,” added the immigration attorney the Atlanta area.

“Given Congress’ lack of willingness to address immigration reform, it is completely legitimate for President Obama to pursue the administrative means at his disposal. Congress may complain that the President is overstepping his authority, but it is Congress that has created the tool the President is using today and he is acting within the authority that Congress gave him. Congress can change the law to stop what the President is doing. But, of course, the minority that has held the majority hostage in Congress can only stop legislation from passing. It is fitting that the tools they have used to wield so much power and thwart the will of the majority of Americans will not work now,” said the Atlanta immigration lawyer.

“This new program will not provide a path to citizenship nor a green card. It merely allows a person to remain legally in the U.S. temporarily and work. DREAMers will need to apply every two years for an extension. The President’s announcement provides temporary relief, but we still need Congress to put aside petty partisanship and move forward with reforming our immigration system. The American public deserves nothing less. I hope the new elections will change the political framework to make this possible”, concluded the immigration attorney and head of the Atlanta Immigration law firm Karen Weinstock.

Media Contact: Karen Weinstock
404-935-0056
Kweinstock (at) visalaw (dot) com

About Siskind Susser:
Siskind Susser is one of the largest immigration law firms in North America and its Atlanta Immigration attorneys, a part of the Atlanta immigration law firm have experience handling all aspects of American immigration and nationality law. Our Atlanta immigration lawyers provide consultations to corporations and individuals on immigration law issues and represent clients before the U.S. government. We are committed to providing quality and efficient service, and are one of the top ranking U.S. immigration law firms.

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