May 2007

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Dear Friend,

May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage month, and this year's theme is "Meeting the Challenges for Asian Pacific Americans." One of the central challenges is the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

I serve as the Immigration Task Force Chairman for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). The caucus includes members who are of Asian Pacific descent and those who represent Congressional Districts with significant APA populations, like ours.

The Immigration Task Force is CAPAC's main voice on this important and timely issue. Right now, APAs face an immigration backlog that has forced many families to live for years apart from their loved ones. APAs face some of the longest waiting periods. For example, Filipinos must wait 23 years before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) even examines their applications for a brother or sister from the Philippines. Furthermore, 1.5 million Asians live in the U.S. as undocumented immigrants. They live in the shadows, without access to basic services, and are vulnerable to exploitation.

As Task Force Chairman, I have made it a priority for CAPAC to support Comprehensive Immigration Reform. True immigration reform not only helps us secure our borders, but addresses the issues of family reunification and earned legalization for undocumented immigrants. With that concern, I cosponsored H.R. 1645, the "Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy (STRIVE) Act of 2007," and I am working now to get members of CAPAC to support this bill as well.

The "STRIVE Act" would help eliminate the family backlog by no longer counting spouses and minor children of naturalized citizens against the worldwide cap on family-based immigration. That means that the remaining visas can reduce the backlog for the other classes of family-based immigrants. The proposal would significantly reduce the family-based immigration backlog. This means that American families can be reunited, and that cannot help but strengthen our society.

The "STRIVE Act" also addresses the concerns of undocumented immigrants, providing for earned legalization, which means that people would be allowed to emerge from the shadows. Illegal immigrants would have to pay fines and back taxes, pass criminal background checks and meet English and Civics learning requirements. Contrary to the rhetoric, these immigrants would not jump ahead of theose who have pending legal visa applications, but would instead have to wait their turn. Furthermore, they would not count against either the family-based or the employment-based immigration caps.

While not perfect, the "STRIVE Act" is an excellent start to addressing some of the immigration problems. As we commemorate the contributions of APAs to the nation, we must rededicate ourselves to a new direction for the nation; to meet the challenges faced by APA families. That is how we open the door to the American dream for all Americans.

 

Aloha,

Neil Abercrombie

Member of Congress