Thread by @NotifyNurseRyan

Many people think that “illegal immigrants” are the scourge of this country, and are a very hot topic in the political world. Let’s dispel any myths and misunderstandings on this subject once and for all.
#Immigration #ImmigrationReform
Read, RT, LEARN! 😁🧠

https://twitter.com/voxdotcom/status/1032798395407257600

The first item I’d like to point out, is that a better term we should use would be undocumented immigrant. “Illegal alien” creates and perpetuates the stigma that these people are inherently bad, or criminal. The reality is that they are just seeking a better life.

Probably the biggest misunderstanding is that everyone should simply just immigrate legally, when in reality there’s nothing simple about it. There are very specific and restrictive criteria one must meet in order to immigrate to the U.S. legally.

Too many people exclaim: “Just immigrate legally!”, not knowing anything about what that process actually involves. So let’s get educated...

One way an immigrant can petition for an interview to be CONSIDERED for legal immigration is on a family-based principle. Immigrants who have immediate family members (child under 21, parent, spouse) living legally in the U.S. can be eligible to enter their petition.

The family member must not only prove that they are able to live above poverty level themselves, but ALSO financially support the incoming immigrant relative!

Supposing this is all possible, it’s still very feasible that the petition will still be denied. Only a certain amount of visas are permitted to be issued each year for family based immigration. 😧

There is also a limited number of visas permitted for work-based immigration. So assuming that one meets all of the following criteria, it’s still very likely that a request for work-based entry will still be denied.

If an immigrant wants to enter the U.S. on the principle of employment, they must first have a job offer lined up. Then they must get their future employer to sponsor them, prove that it won’t displace an American worker and that they cannot find an American to do the job....

....file a petition for their entry, AND pay thousands of dollars in application & legal fees. The employer must ALSO be okay with waiting years for this all to be approved.

Another way an immigrant can petition to interview for a visa is if they have $500,000 to $1,000,000 to invest in U.S. business. Do you think many families fleeing Central America for better lives have those kind of assets? Some maybe, but that’s not the typical scenario.

Some are eligible to petition their case if their country has a low level of immigration here. Canada, China, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, and MANY more are ineligible for the diversity lottery because they have had too many people that have recently migrated here (in last 5 years).

ALL of these circumstances are limited in the number of people permitted to petition each year, and must STILL meet all other eligibility standards. Age, financial, and health requirements are screened in every interview, as well as a review of the subject’s criminal background.

One other way to seek residence in the U.S. is to seek asylum. Jeff Sessions has said that immigrants should seek asylum instead of immigrating illegally. In reality a person has to first be on U.S. soil or at a port to even file for asylum!

Then they have to prove they are fleeing danger from their home country in order to not be deported. Many times they will have to wait between 4-12 years, sometimes MORE for their case to be heard. Many cases at or after this point are still denied.

Recently ICE officials have been-instead simply deporting immigrants-locking them up and charging them with either a misdemeanor illegal entry, or FELONY illegal reentry crime. That person is then barred from being eligible for legal immigration for 5 years MINIMUM.

This is becoming more & more common. ONE THIRD of federal criminal convictions in the U.S. (2012) were for immigration offenses! That’s very significant! Not only does this force many to immigrate illegally, but also provides major $$$ for private prisons that house immigrants.

If you care to know more on that tangent, scroll through this briefing:

https://twitter.com/rhilmoe89/status/1022217604981768197?s=21

Even after successfully going through these rigorous processes, some holders of green cards can STILL be deported, if they have committed a crime... even though they are living here legally!

DREAMers aren’t technically “legal”, but have lived here most of their lives. The DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act was a proposed federal law that would cover young adults aged 15 to 29 who came into the country as children....

....and have gone to college or served in the military. It would give these DREAMers legal status and allow them to apply for citizenship eventually.

In 2012, President Obama launched the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which allowed DREAMers to apply for work permits and protection from deportation. This is often mistakenly referred to as Obama implementing the DREAM Act, but it isn't as permanent....

....as the DREAM Act would have been, since immigrants have to re-apply every two years.

Some people claim that immigrants take advantage of our government assistance programs, and exploit our country’s benevolence/government aid/taxpayers dollars. This simply isn’t true. Naturalized citizens do have full access to federal programs,....

....but green card holders don’t have access to these programs until they’ve had said green card for at least five years. And undocumented immigrants don’t have access to Medicaid or any other federal aid/programs at all. 🤔

Sorry for the long thread. Hopefully I’ve enlightened a few on #Immigration practices in the U.S., and you can use this knowledge in the future. And please let me know if I missed anything! I’m always yearning for learning. 😄