Artifact 2: Obama Changes Immigration Rule

http://immigration.about.com/od/immigrationlawandpolicy/a/Obama-Changes-Immigration-Rule.htm

When people form or speak their personal opinions on immigration, they often do not think about the consequences faced by immigrants and their families. About two years ago, Obama made a major change in the immigration rule. Before this reform, illegal immigrants could be deported back to their country for 3-10 years. Until this time had passed, hopeful immigrants weren't allowed to re-enter the country, legally, or apply for citizenship.

President Obama modified this administrative rule in order to eliminate this ban time. Now, immigrants can immediately apply for a hardship waiver and, after that is approved, apply for a green card.




The main effect of this modification is that fewer families will need to be split up during immigration, and those that are separated will only be for a few weeks, instead of a few years. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants have a U.S. citizen as a spouse, and this adjustment will allow them to "stop living in the shadows".

This article features a few different opinions on this change to the immigration rule. Those who praised the decision focused more on the families of immigrants, and those who didn't tended to focus on the economic and political outcomes. The many who approved of this change in rule generally agree that it will improve the lives of many families across the world. One interviewee, Eleanor Pelton, said that this will even save lives, and included that this demonstrates sensibility and compassion.

However, some people, including Rep. Lamar Smith, think that this change will lead to economic problems, because of a predicted surge in the amount of immigrants coming into the United States, and that it is just "further weakening of the U.S. law." Smith also said that the rule is unfair because it is granting "back-door amnesty."

It is clear that both sides of this argument have valid points, which is why immigration is such a debatable and hot topic in the U.S. right now. This shows that there is more than one way to look at the general topic of immigration. You could look at it from the perspective of the immigrant, or look at how it will influence a U.S. citizen (the economy, resources, etc).

Reyna and her family eventually move to the U.S. Despite being married to a U.S. citizen, her family risks deportation for a few months. Knowing in the back of their mind that this was a one-time opportunity, they still had to lay low until they could get their green cards. If Reyna had never received her citizenship, then she would have never been given the same opportunities. This change to the immigration rule would have potentially allowed both her father and mother to be separated for less time, and permitted Reyna to move to the United States even earlier and with a legal status.

~Rose Domonoske