Bill to increase in Numerical Limitation for asylees from 10000 to 25000

alanpero

Registered Users (C)
Jack Archer/Rajarani, check this out:

H.R. 1560 ASYLUM: Increase in Numerical Limitation for Asylees Adjustment Act of 2001. A bill to increase the numerical limitation on the number of asylees whose status may be adjusted to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence from 10,000 to 25,000. Introduced by Jackson-Lee (D-TX) on 04/24/01 and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

This is something we were taling about in previous discussions. It seems that after all, there are congressmen that are worry about asylees problem. Hopefully, sometime this will lead to a happy end.
 
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Dear Alanpero:

Thank you so much for giving relieving news. It would really help. However I was wondering about your another posting "AS" I have a social security card which says valid only with INS authorization. So do you think that we should go to the Social Security office to change that? If it could be possible, then it would really be wonderful. Please shed some light on both issues: Social Security and Increasing the limit.
 
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Hi Alanpero,

 It\'s me Jack. Sorry for using a new name, my computer crashed and I had to register a new account.
 Anyway, thanks for posting this hopeful news in here. I\'d like to thank you on behalf of all asylees who check this board. I\'ll also share the news with my friends who do not have access to this board.
 
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Hi Rajarani,
As for the bill, I already sent an e-mail and letter to the congresswoman thanking her for her efforts. I believe that the more people know about this bill, the better for all of us. Don\'t you think so?
As for the SS, check the other discussion. I am responding there.
 
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Hi Jack Archer,
Sorry about your computer. Yeah, this is a hope for all asylees still in this tortuous process. I know you will probably won\'t take benefit because, lucky you!!, are in the very last step. This is why I appreciate your initiative of sharing this new with asylees you know. Thanks again and stay in touch
 
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This is a follow up to Alanpero\'s message

More information about HR.1560 can be read at:

(http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR01560:@@@L&summ2=m&)

Current status of the Bill is that the House Judicial Commitee is reviewing it. Subcommittee for Immigration affairs is charied by 10 Senators who will ultimately decide on whether this Bill should become a law (or not).

http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/hr050301si.htm

Thanks to Alanpero for brining in this news to all of us.
 
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I just looked into the details of the Senate Subcommittee hearing on H.R 1560 and here are the key notes:

Following is the testimoney made by Dan Stein,Executive Director
Federation for American Immigration Reform
(This group opposes the HR1560)

"The first of the reforms would decouple the grant of asylum from permanent residence. International practice demonstrates that there is no standard requiring us to grant permanent residence to asylees. There is no reason that a bona fide asylum applicant can not be admitted as a nonimmigrant with the right to work in the United States. That status should not be adjusted to permanent residence until after a minimum of five years. There is no reason that a person who has shown the resourcefulness to get to the U.S. to ask for asylum should be accorded welfare benefits and other public assistance that should be reserved to our most needy citizens. As international circumstances change, the asylum status should be periodically reviewed to determine whether the original circumstances that led to the asylum grant have been reversed. In that case, when the fear of persecution is no longer valid, the asylees should be required to return home. Similarly, an asylum grantee should face a presumption that a fear of persecution no longer exists if he or she travels back to the home country.

The advantage of the adoption of this reform is that it would discourage the still sizable number of asylum applicants who see asylum as a way to permanent residence in the United States, even if their main objective is not the public assistance that comes with a grant of asylum. "

Following is the statement made by Elanor Acer, SENIOR COORDINATOR, ASYLUM PROGRAM LAWYERS COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

(Testified in Support to HR1560)

". The Cap on Asylee Adjustments

When refugees are granted asylum, they are entitled under our law to apply for legal permanent residence status one year after their grant of asylum. But as there is an annual cap on the number of asylees who may adjustment and a backlog of applications, refugees now have to wait several years to receive their legal permanent residence status. Amchok Gyamtso Thubten, a Tibetan refugee who will be testifying before you shortly, applied for legal permanent residence status in 1999. He has still not received his “green card.” It has been estimated that someone granted asylum today will not be able to adjust his or her status for 6 six years. The impact of this delay on refugees is significant – it undermines their ability to integrate into our society, to seek employment and advancement, to apply for citizenship, to travel to visit family securely and in some cases to be united with family members.

One client of the Lawyers Committee, a refugee from Ethiopia, married after she was granted asylum. Her husband, a long-time family friend who lived in exile in Europe, was not eligible to be brought to the U.S. as an asylee because the marriage occurred after our client was granted asylum. The delay of several years in receiving her green card needlessly delayed her ability to petition for him to come to the United States and join her. While she visits him several times a year, the couple has been separated by an ocean for their four-year marriage. Because of the marriage, the U.S. has refused to issue the husband a visa to come to visit his wife and child. Their son, now 3 years old, sees his father for brief visits once a year. They hope that after she becomes a citizen, they will finally be able to live together as a family. My client, who spent her childhood separated from her family because of the cruelty of the Menguistu regime, is patient. But no reasonable policy interest is served by this unnecessary delay.

The cap on asylee adjustments should be lifted. Those who are granted asylum are entitled, under our law, to apply for permanent residency one year after their grant of asylum. These are deserving individuals, many of whom have suffered terribly under governments who abuse the basic rights we in this country take for granted. Their welcome into our society should not be delayed for years by an arbitrary limit on the number on asylees that can become legal permanent residents."
 
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Yeah, I had already read those testimonies. There are witnesses that support and others that are against the bill. Fortunately, the one against is not introducing any bill, and is no necessarily representing the majority in that comitee, and hopefully someday the bill will become a law. Hope so.
 
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If you actually want to support Congresswoman Shiela Jackson-Lee\'s H.R 1560 Bill then write/email to the Senators who are members of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Claim.
http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/hr050301si.htm

Let the Senators know that you support Congresswoman Jackson-Lee\'s Bill because you are experiencing hardships under the current quota systems etc.

 Congresswoman has done her job by introducing the Bill to the Senate. Now it is up to us asylees to let the Senators know how important it is to pass that Bill. Senators will make their final decision based on your stories, public hearings etc. So let your voice be heard!
 
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Dear Alanpero,

 Awhile back you posted some facts and figures on number of people approved for asylum since 1996, number of people applying for I-485 etc. Can you tell me where you found those facts and figures? I am currently composing a letter to the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and those facts and figures would help me alot.

Thanks

Jack
 
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Hi Jack,
All those figures are in the Statistical reports from INS. You just need to check under statistics in INS web site. I do not have at hand the exact link where they are, but I am sure you will find it. Anyway, I will find it for you.
Also, if you need, I have them saved as .pdf files and also as spreadsheets. I can e-mail them to you if you provide an e-mail address. Also, I have hard copies.
Those figures I posted, are numbers publicly reported in INS reports.
There are some details you need to be aware also, like the difference between asylum cases approved and individuals granted asylum (INS report both), backlogs in 1994, date of cases currently being processed by INS, etc.
It\'s good to know that people like you are ahead of us in this process. We will learn from your experiences, which I am sure you will share with us.
 
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Hi Jack,
As informed before, I already expressed my gratitude to congresswoman Jackson-Lee, and of course, totally agree with this initiative.
 
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Hello Alanpero & Jack;
Thanks for sharing the info about SS without restriction. Today I have received my new SS card without any restrictions. Again thanks a lot for being to helpful.
 
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