Urgent Call To Action

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

It's not the entry into the lotter part, my friend. It's those that got a chance for a ticket (the first draw). They have at least a second chance one to sell as the "spouse" and the "children" are eligible to join. Let your fantasy play this one out. Or check when DV beneficiaries actually got married. Yoy'll find that a lot of those marriages occured after the first draw but before the actual application for the visa. You'd also find that those "marriages" don't last very long...

Who cares, it's a lottery! There are only ~50,000 visas available, regardless of to whom they are issued.

Do you care if it's 2 random people vs. 1 random person and his random girlfriend / fake wife?

I just don't think it's a program worth preserving. I'd rather have those 50K annual slots go towards bringing those families that have to wait for visa numbers together faster.

[mawilson 2,133]

It's not the entry into the lotter part, my friend. It's those that got a chance for a ticket (the first draw). They have at least a second chance one to sell as the "spouse" and the "children" are eligible to join. Let your fantasy play this one out. Or check when DV beneficiaries actually got married. Yoy'll find that a lot of those marriages occured after the first draw but before the actual application for the visa. You'd also find that those "marriages" don't last very long...

Who cares, it's a lottery! There are only ~50,000 visas available, regardless of to whom they are issued.

Do you care if it's 2 random people vs. 1 random person and his random girlfriend / fake wife?

I just don't think it's a program worth preserving. I'd rather have those 50K annual slots go towards bringing those families that have to wait for visa numbers together faster.

Fair enough - it's your opinion.

[homesick_american 1]

For the people in Texas thinking of writing Senator John Cornyn, read this:

http://cornyn.senate.gov/index.asp?f=recor...&rid=237447

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement today regarding the announcement by Senator Kennedy and others that an agreement has been reached on comprehensive immigration reform legislation:

“While I appreciate the hard work by my colleagues as we spent countless hours negotiating this very difficult issue, I have serious concerns with the principles outlined in today’s announcement.

“I simply cannot, and will not, support any legislation that repeats the mistakes of the 1986 amnesty. So we have to make a basic determination: Will this bill restore respect for our laws? Or will it have the opposite effect, and encourage still more disregard for our immigration and border security laws, placing us within a few years in the same untenable position we’re now in?”

“I believe today’s announcement is somewhat premature because specific legislative text has yet to be drafted on a number of key details. Until I have the opportunity to review this text, I will withhold from making more detailed comments. Clearly, however, there will be an opportunity to introduce amendments to this legislation, and I expect there will be a number of areas where that will be necessary.”

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.

:thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:

[Dr_LHA 3]

the point was in this very specific situation, we want law-makers to know exactly what we feel as soon as possible. there are e-forms online for every senator AFAIK. sorry you found it mis-informational.

The trouble is email is too easy, and too quick. You can hear the knees jerking loudly in this thread, and that's what those fired off emails say to politicians, they're a knee jerk reaction. A well written, obviously not form, letter will quite simply have so much more impact than an email. Basically if you can't be bothered to go to the effort to write a personal letter, you're not really that bothered about this.

Personally I shall be writing to my senators in support of many of the articles in this proposed bill. After reading this thread, I shall be considering the rest of it clearly to see whether I support it or not. Regardless the letter will be well considered, certainly more so than a lot of my posts on this forum or emails.

[homesick_american 1]

Wrote to Pete Sessions and Kay Bailey Hutchison tonight.

Even though I'm currently in the UK, my last legal residence in the US was in the 32nd district in Texas, making Pete Sessions my congressman. He's a conservative Republican, so hopefully he'll vote against this amnesty bullsh!t. John Cornyn seems to be dead-set against it already so I'll e-mail his office later affirming my support for his position. Kay Bailey's a crapshoot; she's a little bit scatty. I've never voted for her.

[Mags 112]

This is total BS:

....

• The Diversity Lottery Program, which grants 50,000 green cards per year through random chance, is ended.
  

Is it? The Green Card Lottery is total BS IMHO. Why should people get Green Cards purely due to random chance?

Did you know that the bloke who played Lincoln Burrows in Prison Break came over on that very scheme? Just some trivia.

Incidentally, I shall email our local senators tonight.

[rebeccajo 14]

Doc, e-mails, faxes and phone calls are being recommended by lobbying groups and PAC's because the Senate is trying to push this bill through before they leave Washington for the Memorial Day break. This bill, as written, contains everything GW wants. He will sign it into law before you can say 'your grandmothers knickers' if he gets the opportunity.

I'm a firm believer in written correspondence. In this case, however, my suggestion would be some form of electronic communication followed by traditional correspondence.

I'd also like to add this - the bill has a little bit of something for everybody. And that's the problem. You may or may not like the DV; you may or may not support fence-building; you may believe in that old devil 'chain migration' - heck you may even be a flat out Hispanic Hater.

Here's what you need to think about - this bill is trying to solve the problem of illegal entry by making it less attractive for FAMILIES to come to America. Not a bad idea, you say? Aren't all of us here married to (or about to marry) an IMMIGRANT? What if your foreign spouse wanted to someday bring their aging parent to this country, to live out their last days here while your spouse cared for them? What if their sibling were trapped in a horrible marriage or some other situation where you and your spouse could help SAVE THEIR LIFE by bringing them to America? Do you really want your immigrant spouse to have to choose AGAIN between you and their family? They already did that once when they married you. For the love of all that is decent, do what you can to preserve for your immigrant spouse the same freedom of choice that you have as an American citizen. If they have come here legally, worked and paid taxes, they damn well deserve that.

Edited May 20, 2007 by rebeccajo

[Leney 0]

the point was in this very specific situation, we want law-makers to know exactly what we feel as soon as possible. there are e-forms online for every senator AFAIK. sorry you found it mis-informational.

The trouble is email is too easy, and too quick. You can hear the knees jerking loudly in this thread, and that's what those fired off emails say to politicians, they're a knee jerk reaction. A well written, obviously not form, letter will quite simply have so much more impact than an email. Basically if you can't be bothered to go to the effort to write a personal letter, you're not really that bothered about this.

Personally I shall be writing to my senators in support of many of the articles in this proposed bill. After reading this thread, I shall be considering the rest of it clearly to see whether I support it or not. Regardless the letter will be well considered, certainly more so than a lot of my posts on this forum or emails.

I don't know, when I emailed my senators Corman and Santorum in September their offices both called me within 48 hours (of course it was 2 months to election time). But nothing is better than a good old fashion letter.

[rebeccajo 14]

Shameless bump because this is so very important.

[mawilson 2,133]

I'd also like to add this - the bill has a little bit of something for everybody. And that's the problem. You may or may not like the DV; you may or may not support fence-building; you may believe in that old devil 'chain migration' - heck you may even be a flat out Hispanic Hater.

Very good point, Rebecca -- I reached the same conclusion after reading the bill.

[Traviesa 0]

So basically because Javier was so unlucky as to get caught for the exact same crime that the illegals are now committing he gets a PERMANENT bar and they get to stay....sorry but that's not even right. I don't normally get active about stuff like this but what can I do?

[Dr_LHA 3]

What if their sibling were trapped in a horrible marriage or some other situation where you and your spouse could help SAVE THEIR LIFE by bringing them to America?

Rebecca, I simply don't agree with sibling green cards because the vast majority of the time they are used for "chain immigration" and not "saving a life". Also right now it takes many years for a brother or sister to get a green card, so its not like in the current system you could "save their life" by applying for a green card, unless its a slow death that could be avoided by coming to the USA in 10 years time.

I am however a strong believer in "hardship" clauses to get people quick visas/green cards in such cases where it would save a life.

Edited May 21, 2007 by Dr_LHA

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

So basically because Javier was so unlucky as to get caught for the exact same crime that the illegals are now committing he gets a PERMANENT bar and they get to stay....sorry but that's not even right. I don't normally get active about stuff like this but what can I do?

You can contact your Senators and point out the very concern that you, as an American who is separated from her spouse, have in regards to this bill. The illegals get "probabtion" and get to stay, get a path to residency and citizenship that will require only the head of the houseold to actually leave the country (with all previous overstays forgiven and forgotten) while you, a US citizen, are separated from your husband and have to fight for a waiver for him. That's wrong. Those here illegally today should not be treated any better than those that were deported and removed previously. Most certainly not any better than those foreign nationals that have a US citizen spouse. Get on that soapbox and yell at your Senators.

[rebeccajo 14]

What if their sibling were trapped in a horrible marriage or some other situation where you and your spouse could help SAVE THEIR LIFE by bringing them to America?

Rebecca, I simply don't agree with sibling green cards because the vast majority of the time they are used for "chain immigration" and not "saving a life". Also right now it takes many years for a brother or sister to get a green card, so its not like in the current system you could "save their life" by applying for a green card, unless its a slow death that could be avoided by coming to the USA in 10 years time.

I am however a strong believer in "hardship" clauses to get people quick visas/green cards in such cases where it would save a life.

That's logical, Doc.

There's just so many layers to this bill as it stands at the moment. So many unanswered questions in my mind.

If the points system goes into effect, I wonder what that will do to non-immigrant visas? Honestly, I think they will be abolished. It makes no sense that a USC could petition to bring someone over, running the risk that once they arrive they wouldn't have enough 'points' to adjust.

I'm not necessarily opposed to the points system - I don't understand it enough to have a firm opinion on that. What I do know is that other nations who use the points system don't say - ok because you are the brother or sister of someone you can't come in. And that is what the proponents of this bill are not being forthright about. It looks to me like the proposed point system is a sort of 'selective' process wherein we now state we only want the brightest and best from other parts of the world. So I'm thinking they need to send somebody out into New York Harbor and remove the "tired, hungry and poor" plaque from the Statue of Liberty.

[Traviesa 0]

So basically because Javier was so unlucky as to get caught for the exact same crime that the illegals are now committing he gets a PERMANENT bar and they get to stay....sorry but that's not even right. I don't normally get active about stuff like this but what can I do?

You can contact your Senators and point out the very concern that you, as an American who is separated from her spouse, have in regards to this bill. The illegals get "probabtion" and get to stay, get a path to residency and citizenship that will require only the head of the houseold to actually leave the country (with all previous overstays forgiven and forgotten) while you, a US citizen, are separated from your husband and have to fight for a waiver for him. That's wrong. Those here illegally today should not be treated any better than those that were deported and removed previously. Most certainly not any better than those foreign nationals that have a US citizen spouse. Get on that soapbox and yell at your Senators.

Will do. Javier and I are trying not to get too worried-surely we won't have come this far for nothing. I just hope we're all not too late to fix this mess.