支持希拉裏

May 24, 2007
Please Vote Yes on Clinton-Hagel-Menendez Amendment
Dear Senator:
We, the undersigned organizations, write to urge you to vote yes on the Clinton-Hagel-
Menendez Amendment to amend the “immediate relative” category for family-visa
petitions to include minor children and spouses of legal permanent residents (LPRs).
This amendment would ensure that LPRs can be more quickly reunited with their family
members; without this amendment, LPRs will continue to face long waits of five years or
more to be reunited with their loved ones.
Devastating impact on families with Clinton-Hagel-Menendez Amendment
The U.S. prides itself in welcoming newcomers and protecting families, but immigration
policies are keeping these families apart. More than one million minor children and
spouses of LPRs are currently awaiting reunion with their parent or spouse. The U.S.
restricts travel for LPRs, and with the stringent requirements for obtaining a visitor’s
visa, families remain separated for long periods of time. The current bill will have a
devastating impact on highly vulnerable populations, such as refugees and asylees. The
cap will keep them from reuniting with their families, even after they become LPRs.
Currently, spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens are classified as “immediate
relatives” for purposes of applying for family-sponsored visas. These family members of
U.S. citizens do not have to wait in line to receive visas to join their family members in
the United States and there is no annual cap on the number of visas granted to them. By
contrast, spouses and minor children of LPRs are capped at 87,900 visas each year. Due
to the backlog created by insufficient visas to match the demand, these spouses and minor
children of LPRs must wait in line five years before being able to join their families.
Family unity is beneficial for the U.S. economy
Countless examples of entrepreneurialism within immigrant communities show that
families, by living together and sharing resources, contribute to the economy in powerful
and sustaining ways. By keeping nuclear families apart, both the current system and
proposed point system create disincentives for immigrants to invest their talents in the
U.S. economy.
U.S. legal permanent residents have played by the rules and are waiting patiently in line
to reunite with their loved ones. We urge you to vote yes on the Clinton-Hagel-
Menendez Amendment to ensure our immigration system prioritizes the
reunification of families.

Very truly yours,

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American Families United
American Friends Service Committee