While in Clinton this past week, I ran into an old friend, and, as I am opt to do, we talked about Clinton and national politics.
He brought up that two individuals whom he is close to were dealing with, or not dealing with, green card issues. Green cards are the common name for that federal document that allows a foreign national to stay in this country and be gainfully employed.
Without a green card, a foreign national is normally here on a visitor’s visa or an education visa. Those visas are of relatively short duration.
A green card is often good for 10 years. Both of his friends had arrived in the U.S. legally and had complied with federal laws on immigration. Both, according to him, had allowed their respective green cards to lapse, which means their legal right to remain in the U.S. had also lapsed.
One of those parties had taken the proper efforts to correct the problem and had refiled the paperwork for the green card. That effort is not simple. There is the paperwork itself to complete. Then, one has to go to an immigration office that can authorize the green card. If that person lives locally, that is a trip to Indianapolis for a personal interview.
The person did that and has received his green card documents in the mail. That person is now authorized to live and work in the U.S. for the next 10 years. The law worked as designed.
The other person has procrastinated and has not completed the paperwork or requested an extension. That person has put his liberty and many other benefits of this country at risk of deportation. Obtaining a driver’s license, getting a loan for a car or business, even medical treatment or insurance may require proof of citizenship or authority to be in the country.
Not having that green card for a foreign national is simply evidence that the person has no authority to be in the country. That person is subject to almost immediate deportation. In this case, the law will also work and that is to the detriment of the individual.
The U.S. has welcomed foreign nationals who arrive here legally since the inception of this nation. If you or someone you know has an expired green card, please contact the immigration authorities and complete the paperwork or encourage your friend holding the card to do so. Immigration authorities are much more understanding of an individual who comes to their offices voluntarily and seeks a lawful resolution of the problem. If the foreign national has expired paperwork to be in this country, immigration authorities have less and less patience, and you put yourself at risk of deportation.
The U.S. is a country of immigrants. My great grandparents came to the U.S. from Germany and Ireland. I would imagine that your families also have a history of immigration. Immigration works for all if the law is followed. Failure to follow the law may well result in expulsion from the country. It simply makes sense to follow the law.
Let me give you two individuals who followed the law and are now U.S. citizens. In church a couple of weeks ago, it was announced that a member had just become a U.S. citizen. That person was Amalia Jent. Amalia, and her husband Kenny, owned and operated Soto’s Restaurant here in Clinton for years. Amalia had her green card and took it one step further and became a citizen.
My oldest son’s wife is of Armenian/Russian nationality. She obtained the green card, earned a graduate degree here on top of her graduate degrees in Russia. They have three children, and she is gainfully employed in the D.C. area. She is also a U.S. citizen and has been for several years.
Both of these ladies did the immigration process properly and followed the laws. In my conversations with both ladies, I have found them to be very pro-American. Both have engaged themselves in the American culture and experience. Both are proud of America, and America should be proud of them.
Take the politics out of it. Immigration works for all if the laws are followed.
.
