President Obama promised to take his executive action on green card law before summer’s end, then postponed his actions until after the upcoming election. In late September, activists for immigration reform held a National Week of Action, to gather and rally support for the families that are being divided by the different immigration laws governing children and adults.
As a part of the National Week of Action, on Wednesday, September 24th, activists gathered near city hall, in front of the JFK Federal Building, and demanded that Obama take immediate action and fulfill his promise to stop separating families. The current legislation allows migrant children to remain in the US, so long as they meet certain criteria, but their parents are offered no such protection. ‘Day in and day out, we’re seeing families being divided,’ says Ronnie Millar, who is the executive director of the Irish International Immigration Center, ‘It’s cruel and unfair.’
Judith Mendez, a local mother of three, is a member of one of these families, and was present at the Boston rally. She had just learned that her husband, while awaiting deportation, had been moved from South Bay’s House of Correction, to Louisiana, where she cannot go to see him. ‘My husband was detained by I.C.E. outside our home when he went to get my daughter’s bag from our car,” Mendez said. “My husband is a good man – he’s a hard worker, he pays his taxes. His only crime is to work in the United States.” Mrs. Mendez is here under Temporary Protected Status from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
President Obama Reiterates Promises to Change Green Card Law
In response to the rallies in Boston and all over the nation, the President promised again that he would act – that it’s ‘not a question of if, but when.’ This was a part of his speech at the annual gala for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, on October 2nd. He then went on to say, ‘The moment I act… opponents of reform will roll out the same old scare tactics… I’m going to need you to have my back,’ he said, promising the Hispanic community that his actions would indeed be between the November elections and the end of 2014.
Are You Waiting on Your Boston Green Card?
If you’re concerned about the loopholes allowing families to be separated, and waiting on your Boston green card, it’s important that you contact a green card lawyer as soon as possible. Your green card lawyer will work with you to help secure your place in Boston.
If you haven’t yet applied to become a legal citizen of the United States, contact a Boston green card lawyer today, and we will help you get the process started. If the President is able to come through on his most recent promises, there won’t be long to wait for reform. Let’s work together to get you safeguarded for the future.
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