Bush plan to scrap family petitions in US triggers uproar

By RODNEY J. JALECO

ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

WASHINGTON DC. Filipinos with close relatives in the United States now have to wait from five up to 20 years for immigrant petitions to push through. But now, the White House wants to scrap the practice altogether, triggering a howl of protest from the immigrant community here.

US President George Bush will reportedly move for the elimination of all family-based immigrant visas as part of "draconian measures" to reform the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA).

The White House’s hardening stand clashed directly with US House Resolution 1645 which provides for comprehensive US immigration reforms. The US measure aims, among others, to eliminate the backlog in family-based visa applications, especially for spouses and unmarried children of legal residents (so-called "green card holders") 21 years old and younger.

Jon Melegrito, executive director of the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE), warns the White House move will have severe repercussions for the Filipino-American community and their families in the Philippines.

Stephen Legomsky of the Washington University School of Law told a hearing of the US House subcommittee on immigration, citizenship, refugees, border security and international law Thursday afternoon, "these separations virtually invite illegal immigration".

Melegrito accuses US President Bush of "playing politics" with the proposed immigration reform package by offering to scrap family-based visas. Many see it as old-fashioned DC horse-trading to prod hard-line Republicans to support the reforms.

Curiously, much of the Bush package such as a guest worker program and allowing undocumented workers to stay in the US after paying fines, have drawn wider support from Democrats than from his own party.

Republicans have taken the tack that prevention and intensified enforcement – like building a wall across the Mexican border – was the way to go. There’s an estimated 250,000 undocumented Filipinos in the US and they would obviously be anxious about any fresh crackdown on illegals.

Muzzaffar Chishti, Director of the Migration Policy Institute, testified, "With very few options for entering legally through employment-based visa categories, intending immigrants could try to enter through the family-based categories…but the wait list for many of these categories are prohibitively long."

"In the absence of legal channels, immigrants entering our labor market have come to rely on illegal channels," Chishti told the solons.

The pressure is only sure to mount as so-called Baby Boomers near retirement. This and a combination of normal attrition and economic expansion are expected to create 65 million new jobs by the end of the decade, a demand the local workforce can barely fill.

Fil-Am groups are joining a large immigration rally here on May 1, dubbed the "Great American Boycott". Organizers are asking protesters to stay off work and shopping malls and march on the streets of D.C. The divergent immigrant groups are driven by their own agenda and priorities.

For the Fil-Am community, protecting their right to bring spouses and children here is top on their list. "Families should be together as soon as possible, and they should shorten the time between applying for the visa and getting it here," explained Rozita Lee, vice chair of the umbrella National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA).

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I guess the chimp in the Whitehouse prefers illegals from Latin America to come to the US over educated Filipinos entering the US through legal means.

Since they're more inclined in performing jobs Americans don't want.

Consequently, Filipinos back home will be compelled to get our $hit together, and cure the ills of our society, and government, instead of dreaming of moving to greener pastures. We can do it!

this is bad for pinoy families... screw bush al gore is the man!

That Filipina chef in the White House needs to poison him now.

Afak!! Nurses can't bring their family anymore! Yeah poison him

oh snap, Filipinos better rush their application before the close

boooo! does bush want longer lines in the airports! Is he crazy!?

This might actually be of some good, oh well we will get through this.

I'd laugh at conservative Filipinos who vote and are Republican, and dream to bring their relatives here to the US.

i don't know about you guys but i like it that way...mas maganda ng di natin pag siksikan ang mga sarili natin sa f*cked up americans...

paano na lang kami?

I have not read about the proposed change yet, but from what you are all saying its hosed up. We have legal immigrants who not only are productive but wish to include their families in their success. And we want to ban this????? WTF
I hate illegals because they are the opposite of what we would like to get. I have yet to meet a filipino who wasn't a good worker and who didn't have role model integrety. This sucks.

Does this affect green card holders and naturalized citizens?

panakot to ni george bush sa mga pilipino. baka gusto ni bush na gawining ang pilipinas isang state ng america, pag nangyari to baka mag kakaroon ng war between us saka pilinas. lalo ng eh c gloria parang gusto rin nyang ipagbili ang pilipinas.

Expect less Filipino to vote for Bush oir Republican party the next presidential election

wahahahaha I'd laugh too

ugh, I know. i have these evangelical cousins in the phils and they LOVE their W and they want to come here too. I wonder what they're thinking now