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New US bill to reform immigration and promote family unity
The bill is supported by prominent advocacy groups, including Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
File photo. / Reuters
US Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the Reuniting Families Act, a legislative effort aimed at promoting family unity within the US immigration system.
The bill seeks to reduce family-based immigration backlogs, modernize the system, and address issues separating families, including LGBTQ+ couples and children aging out of visa eligibility.
The legislation incorporates Senator Hirono's Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, which expedites visa processing for children of Filipino World War II veterans. Hirono, the only immigrant currently serving in the US Senate, emphasized the bill's importance:
"We desperately need comprehensive immigration reform, but in the meantime, the Reuniting Families Act is a step in the right direction to help reunite or keep families together as they navigate our immigration system."
Duckworth echoed Hirono's sentiments, highlighting the need for change in an outdated and bureaucratic system:
"Our country’s broken immigration system is riddled with unnecessary barriers that have kept families apart for years. This legislation offers commonsense reforms to help end these backlogs and bring families together."
Key Provisions of the Bill:
- Recapture Unused Visas: Adds unused visas from previous years to the annual cap.
- Exemption from Visa Caps: Includes close relatives such as spouses, children under 21, and certain parents of permanent residents.
- Increased Per-Country Caps: Benefits countries with high demand, including India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines.
- Protections for LGBTQ+ Families: Ensures equal treatment for same-sex couples.
- Prevention of “Aging Out”: Extends protections for children turning 21.
- Expanded Discretion on Deportation Bars: Eliminates mandatory home-country requirements in certain cases.
- Streamlined Cancellation of Deportation: Simplifies applications for those facing extreme family hardship.
The bill is supported by prominent advocacy groups, including Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF). Advocates stress the urgent need to fix the decades-long visa backlogs and address systemic inequities.
"Families should not have to be stuck in decades-long backlogs due to our outdated immigration system," said Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us. "This bill offers smart and moral policies to modernize our family-based immigration system."
The legislation has drawn praise from across the spectrum of immigrant advocacy organizations. Gregg Orton of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) noted: "This bill would strengthen the family-based immigration system and bring us one step closer to creating a fair system that facilitates family reunification."
Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), added: "It is about keeping families together and ensuring thousands have the opportunity to join their loved ones in the United States."
Companion legislation introduced in the House by Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) last year underscores bipartisan efforts to address long-standing immigration challenges. As Senator Hirono remarked, "Families belong together. This bill is a vision for a better immigration system."
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