Speech #1100056052

That is what my amendment does. This amendment is a bipartisan amendment offered with Senator HAGEL and Senator MENENDEZ. It is our view we must make reuniting families a priority in our immigration system. that we should show compassion for those living apart from their spouses and minor children. that we should reform immigration in a way that honors families and brings them together. Unfortunately. the compromise bill before us fails to help families and children stuck in a bureaucratic quagmire created by our tangled. broken immigration system. Spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents applying for a green card are required to remain overseas while awaiting their new legal status. The problem is there is a huge backlog. Despite what some have suggested this week. the visa backlog for spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents is significant and substantial. According to the June 2007 State Department visa bulletin. the backlog is currently more than 5 years long. For some. that backlog could stretch even longer. What does that mean? In very human terms it means parents are forced apart from their children. Husbands are separated from their wives. Taxpaying. lawabiding. legal immigrants who are doing the right thing are treated as though their families dont matter at all. If you are a lawful permanent resident and your spouse and minor children are caught in this long line. your family is not allowed to enter the United States even for a brief visit. You are limited in your ability to leave the United States to visit your spouse and children overseas.