Stepup AILA!

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dynobuoy

Registered Users (C)

Posted by me in response to Petition against Mr Lou Dobbs of CNN

Like it or not.

Americans are coming together against both legal and illegal immigrants. And they had been doing this for quiet some time. Just now that the economy is not as good, these people are getting their share of fame or atleast an appearance in the limelight.

If you sign petitions, how many petitions are you going to sign? There is no proper channel for the (legal) immigrant communities to express their views.

I would split immigration into two basic categories. When you look immigration as a whole the whole system looks corrupted and anti-American. So we need to seggregate ourself as a legal-immigrant group. Once this seggregation is made, we need to represent our thought and show the american people that why legal immigrants and H1B workers are better and how we help the economy of the country.

The word immigrant to many Americans brings a picture of an illegal uneducated non-english speaking immigrant working as scavenger, living in shacks, driving a huge wagon/truck with his broom/janitorial supplies on top and his family of 20 people squeezed inside it . We need to change that image and identify ourselves as an elite group of immigrants who are better / equal in all aspects. Don't misunderstand me, I am not against them nor do I hate them. It is just that we need to identify and project ourselves different from them. Come'on its a Darwinian world, we need to be fit to survive.

The anti-immigrant groups are gaining more momentum than ever. They have a representative and they know how to make their worries and words heard. They have a decent websites to explain their cause to the general public. But we sent scattered letters and petitions like the one to Dobbs. How many more petitions are we going to sent? We as the elite-legal-immigrants are not together and we lack representation. We need a proper channel to publize our views.

Now comes the question of leadership. Who to lead and who would sponser such a movement / organization? Who else but the AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association)? The community that benefits from the immigrants? Why doesn't AILA step up and publish the views and sentiments of the clients they represent? Instead of sending these kind of individual mails it would be more effective to sent it from a group. Why do we need to work in individual groups? why can't we figh back with the collective cohersiveness?

The next question would be funding. The AILA can collect fee from each of the applicant for running thgis cause. Say if they collect $10 per application as a fee of representation, I would guarantee it would be in millions.

Don't think I am whining. Compare the sites www.FairUS.ORG and www.AILA.org and see the diffence for yourself. The first one is a anti-immigrant site which is being there for about 3 decades now and see what AILA has. Selling T-Shirts?

I maybe too naive and may lack the legal complications of sucha group. But it is time for AILA to step up and give back to the community from which they got so much.

Wish you guys agree with me, or post your opinion. It is high time we petition AILA to represent us.

hth
dyno
 
I really appreciate your enthusiasm. I do believe that AILA should step up and figth back.

My question is, how do you propose that we let AILA know? Do another petition? Then aren't we going to the same thing again!!!

The problem is not that we don't want ourselves to be heard. I think I can safetly say that most indians have the attitute that if it doesn't hurt me, I don't give a $h!t. Lot of people will read your posts, and they will agree with you, they will be also ready to give 10 bucks for the cause, but if they have to take even half an hour from their daily life to follow up on stuff like this, or talk to AILA or go to group meetings, they will back out. Everyone feels that they are too busy with their life to spend time on taking some action.

Look at the action team that is made for filling the class action law suite against CIS, it took a long time for volunteers to sign up for it, even thouse thousands of people read those posts and agreed to it. The fact is that as long as men think that they are doing alright, they don't care about the future. Few people do, people who finally stand up and take action, but that is a very small number of percentage of the entire population.

Lets say that there is 1% of the population who is willing to go beyond the call of duty. When it comes to legal immigrant we are already a very small percent of the entire population in US. if there are 1 Million people who are legal immigrant then 1% of one million people are willing to take some action. On the other hand the there will be 1% of 200 million people who are citizens who are willing to take some action against us.

So you see, that 1% of us is not good enough. Sure we signed the petition against Mr. Lou of CNN, but imagine the entire 1 Million people signing the petition and forwarding it to CNN, it will freak them out, and the show will be off air the next moment.

What we need to do is have some very powerful people be on our side of the cause. Some very powerful business men, lasywers, congressmen, senators, social workers, news anchors. If we have some strong people for us, then we will be heard even more, but then again where will we find them. If more people took the initiative, then only it is possible.

If you read the posts regularly, then you will notice if someone said that my 485 is approved then LOT of users will reply to him/her congratulating him. But for a post like yours, they wouldn't even bother dropping a line.

I would like to end this by saying that I am really sad, that even after reading your posts and lot more simillar post to come in future, the average reader of this forum, after reading your post, is going to click on "Next Post" instead of taking any action. He/she will be all hiked up by reading such posts, but next minute forget about it, only care for why their 485 is taking so long, and move on with their life.

Sad, isn't it?
 
Suggest what we can do

Yes, I would like to join to change image of an iimigrant. How we should contact AILA and ask to represent us?

I think, some people avoid such topics because of lot other responsibilities. Everyone is not capable to put energy for several different tasks. And you are right, too. Some of us are just silent. They would like to get benefit but won't be part of the team that works for the benefits.

Whoever can contribute here is greatly appreciated. Let us not blame all because of some.
 
It certainly would be possible to create a non-profit to do this. The non-profit could charge an annual membership fee and also provide information and intervention. It may be possible to provide legal services under some circumstances. It's certainly something to consider. Funding could also be acheived through donations from corporations and others with an interest in immigration.

AILA does quite a bit but its resources are somewhat stretched. A non-profit that was set up specifically to further the interests of business immigrants would be more narrowly focussed and probably able to concentrate its efforts more effectively.
 
Originally posted by Jim Mills
It certainly would be possible to create a non-profit to do this. The non-profit could charge an annual membership fee and also provide information and intervention. It may be possible to provide legal services under some circumstances. It's certainly something to consider. Funding could also be acheived through donations from corporations and others with an interest in immigration.

AILA does quite a bit but its resources are somewhat stretched. A non-profit that was set up specifically to further the interests of business immigrants would be more narrowly focussed and probably able to concentrate its efforts more effectively.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mr.Mills

That is the most positive comment I heard about the initiative and that too from an Attorney. It would be great if you could represent this issue with the AILA and get it to be discussed with all its member bodies. Maybe this could change the face of business legal immigrants in this country. You could act as an initiator of this cause and the whole community would be grateful to you if this materializes.


-dyno


 
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You can send this letter to AILA...
We can request that we participate and voice our opinion in the annual AILA gatherings/ conference
Every one of the potential immigrants can write their own version of this letter (or copy it) and present to their or company lawyers...to be voiced at AILA.
Somebody can revive the defunct ISN and take this issue up...

Starting a potential business immigrants network - NPO in every state is a good starting point...

I know a vociferous person(i485 pending) who can volunteer for such things from Florida...
 
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