That is not what this law was intended to accomplish. It is difficult to determine the full extent of this problem. Because minor siblings do not qualify for visas. the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not keep track of how many families have been adversely affected. What we do know. however. is that the cases in my home State are not unique. Though the number is admittedly not large. DHS has notified us that they run into this problem regularly. with the number reaching into the hundreds each year. So. this change will not lead to an influx of many immigrants. but it will reunite a number of families who have unnecessarily been kept apart. If only one family suffers because of this loophole. I would suggest that changes should be made. The fact that there have been numerous cases. probably in the hundreds. demands that we address this issue now. Many parts of our immigration laws are outdated and in need of repair. The definition of "immediate relative" is no different. Congresss intent when it granted "immediate relatives" the right to obtain immigrant visas was to promote family reunification. but the unfortunate oversight which Senator KENNEDY and I have highlighted has interfered with many families opportunity to do just that. The legislation introduced today would expand the definition of "immediate relative" to include the minor siblings of U.S. citizens. By doing so. we can truly provide our fellow citizens with the ability to reunite with their family members.
Keywords matched
immigrants visas family reunification immigrant immigration