News Release
April 27, 2006
Filipinos across the US are pushing for faster processing of family visas as a concrete demand upon US legislators in Congress who are currently engaging an immigration debate that is sparking mass demonstrations for immigrant rights all over the country.
In a recent national immigrant rights conference in Chicago, various immigrant rights groups and coalitions, who had been responsible for massive demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee, Phoenix, and elsewhere, adapted key national demands in pursuit of comprehensive immigration reforms that were just and humane. A national network was formed.
Representatives from the Justice 4 Immigrant Filipino Coalition (J4I), a once local but now national formation of Filipino organizations and individuals pushing for just and humane immigration reforms, explained the relevance of family reunification for immigrants at the conference that was later adopted by the conference body as a national platform demand. J4I also fielded the only Filipino representation at the nearly 90% Latino-attended networking conference.
According to immigration policy analyst and New York lawyer Cristina Godinez, over 70% of all Filipinos who migrate to the US apply under family sponsorship. “The statutory limit on the number of family-based visas per country is unrealistic,” she explained, “As a result, family visas allotted to high-volume countries like the Philippines and Mexico are exhausted and applicants have to wait up to 23 years to have their visa applications processed.”
“There are different wait times for every family-based category. Some Filipino applicants who wish to remain in a category with a relatively shorter wait time such as unmarried children of US citizens purposely stay unmarried even if they already have their own families,” Godinez said, “This is quite a dilemma for Filipinos who are mostly Catholic, because in that situation they would be ‘living in sin.’”
“No one should have to compromise one’s religious convictions just to be reunited with one’s family in the US,” Godinez added, “This is against basic American values.”
“It is a harsh and painful reality all Filipinos in this country are connected to,” stated Julia Camagong of the Philippine Forum, a member organization of J4I. “My parents were petitioned by their siblings in the US and had to wait up to 25 years actually, to be reunited with their loved ones. It is very cruel and tears so many Filipino families apart.”
“It is not just a question of legalization. We want to increase the family visa quota, and a more efficient processing of family-based visas. There is no excuse for such a snail’s pace processing. Filipino families are suffering,” Camagong continued.
Robert Roy, executive director of the Philippine Forum, says the experience is common for all Filipinos. “My parents also waited up to 15 years to see their families again, and my brothers and their families back home are still one of the millions of Filipinos lost in the tedious visa backlog.”
Roy also explained that the push for mass exodus of Filipinos from the Philippines as the Philippine government’s remedy for joblessness and economic crisis breaks up more than 3000 families a day. “Given the wait period for family visas in this country, it is no wonder we have generations and generations of Filipinos growing up without parents and other family members. This is a grave social cost for us,” Roy explained.
The Justice 4 Immigrants Filipino Coalition will be mobilizing Filipino contingents to participate in the next national day of action for immigrant rights on May 1st, 2006. In New York, a rally will be held from 4-7pm at Union Square. Filipinos are encouraged to join the J4I contingent, which will convene at 3pm on the northeast corner of Broadway and 14th Street in Manhattan before joining the main rally. J4I is a member of the May 1st Coalition Steering committee.
For more information, email justice4immigrants@yahoo.com or call 718 565 8862.
