Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
page
Honda, joined by CAPAC and other Members, Announce Key Component
of Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Reuniting Families

WASHINGTON D.C., June 5, 2009 – Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC),
Rep. Michael Honda, introduced the Reuniting Families Act, H.R. 2709, which presented a key component of
comprehensive immigration reform: family reunification.  The legislation ends lengthy separations of loved ones,
promotes family stability, and fosters the economic growth that immigrant families have provided throughout our
history.

Joining the Congressman today were CAPAC’s Immigration Task Force Chairman Rep. Neil Abercrombie,
CAPAC Executive Board Member Rep. Mazie K. Hirono, Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Sheila Jackson Lee, Jerrold
Nadler, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, NAACP, League of United Latin American Citizens,
Immigration Equality, United Methodist Church, and Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.  CAPAC
Members Reps. Eni Faleomavaega, Raul Grijalva, Barbara Lee, Doris O. Matsui, Carolyn Maloney, Laura
Richardson, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,  Pete Stark, Lynn Woolsey, and David Wu
were also among the bill’s 56 original cosponsors.

Rep. Michael Honda said, “The Reuniting Families Act should be at the heart of comprehensive immigration
reform. Our system has not been updated in 20 years, separating spouses, children, siblings and their parents,
who have played by the rules, for years, often decades. Our legislation is in line with both American family values
and with our short-term need to grow our economy and save taxpayer money. With this bill, we are providing legal
mechanisms to streamline the current immigration logjam, preventing waste of precious government resources
and rewarding those who play by the rules.  We are providing the American economy with new funds, in terms of
remittances, which will now remain in the US with reunited families instead of being sent home, that’s an extra
$46 billion from Latin American in one year alone.  And we are comprehensive – making sure that all families,
including same-sex partners, are reunited.”  

Karen Narasaki, Executive Director, Asian American Justice Center: “We commend Congressman Honda and his
colleagues for championing this legislation on behalf of the millions of immigrants who are currently caught up in
an unworkable system that keeps them apart from their closest loved ones for too many years,” said Karen K.
Narasaki, president and executive director of AAJC. “The Reuniting Families Act reflects our nation’s values and
recognizes the contributions families make to our society and economy.  It is a key building block for the broader
comprehensive reform that is needed to fix our broken immigration system.”

Rep. Jerrold Nadler: “Making the goal of family reunification a reality needs to be at the core of immigration
reform," said Nadler.  "Enabling and promoting strong, stable families is a value at the very heart of American
society.  Stable families are stable families regardless of whether a couple includes one who is from another
country, gay or lesbian, or both.  Let's pass the Reuniting Families Act and move unequivocally to promote healthy
American families, no matter what those families look like.  We can't afford to do otherwise.”

Eliseo Medina, Vice President, Service Employees International Union (SEIU): “There is nothing more powerful
than the desire to be with the family you love. It is why we go to work, it is why we want to succeed and why we
care so much about building a better country. A strong family often provides the support structure needed to be a
strong contributor to society and to pursue the American Dream. For too many SEIU members and other hard
working immigrants, bureaucratic backlogs and wait times keep their families thousands of miles away. This
legislation will help reduce illegal immigration through several long-sought improvements to our family-based
visa system. We are proud to support this bill and the thousands of stronger families it will help.”

Rep. Mazie Hirono: “I have listened to many heartbreaking stories of sons and daughters of our Filipino World War
II veterans waiting patiently in the Philippines with the hope that one day they will be able to come to the United
States to care for their aging parents,” said Hirono.  "I am glad that the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act
is a part of the Reuniting Families Act.”  

The Reuniting Families Act helps to clear the current immigration logjam of 5.8 million people by providing legal
mechanisms to streamline the application process.   At present, the bureaucratic backlog wastes precious
government resources, both human and financial.  In response, the bill streamlines the application process so
that it is fair and incentivizes potential applicants to use legal channels to join their family in the United States.  A
streamlined system and reduced backlog would demonstrate to immigrants tempted to arrive outside the legal
process that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those who stay within the legal process.  

As a result of current long waits, many family members who apply for visas in the prime of their lives are not
granted admission until they reach retirement age, undermining their economic contribution to our country and
encouraging some frustrated relatives to resort to illegal migration. “By providing American workers with a vital
social safety net – that is, their family – we help make our communities stronger and more resilient,” said Rep
Honda.  “The benefits here cannot be overstated.  American workers with families by their side are happier,
healthier and more able to succeed than those distanced from loved ones for years on end.”

Specifically, the bill does the following:

·       Recaptures unused family-based and employment-based visas previously allocated by Congress which
remain unused.

·       Allows a green card holder to reunite with their spouses and minor children: The bill classifies the children
and spouses of lawful permanent residents as “immediate relatives.”  This would allow lawful permanent
residence spouses and children to immediately qualify for a visa.  

·       Increases the per country limits of family and employment-based visas from 7% to 10%:  Right now, each
country only has a 7% share of the total cap of visas that Congress allocates each year. Increasing each country’s
percentage of visas would eliminate the absurdly long wait times for individuals to immigrant from certain
countries like the Philippines, China, and India.

·       Allows orphans, widows and widowers to immigrate despite death of a petitioner.

·       Promotes family unity by allowing more people to use the system: The bill gives the Attorney General greater
flexibility to address numerous hardships, including family separation, caused by a provision that bars individuals
who had been unlawfully present in the United States from utilizing our legal immigration system.

·       Recognizes the sacrifices that certain World War II Filipino veterans made for this country, by exempting their
children from the numerical caps on visas.

·       Ends discrimination in immigration law, allowing same-sex partners to reunite.