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Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service cares deeply about the unity of migrant families. We focus on two advocacy issues that affect family unity: visa availability and family separation within the United States.
Family Visas
Under the current immigration system, US citizens and legal permanent residents are allowed to petition for family members to join them in the United States. An unlimited number of visas are available for citizens' immediate family members. But far fewer visas are available for other close relatives, such as unmarried adult children or siblings.
For legal permanent residents of the Unites States, family visa availability is limited in all categories. Visas are additionally limited by country of origin. With demand for family visas far outstripping the supply, the system suffers from severe backlogs. Waits range from as short as a few months to as long as 23 years.
Family Separation Within the United States
Many immigrant families have “mixed status.” For example, parents who are undocumented may have children who were born in the United States and are therefore citizens. Another example would be an undocumented immigrant may be married to a legal permanent resident.
When the Department of Homeland Security apprehends individuals through immigration enforcement actions, mixed status families are at risk of separation. In recent years detention and deportation have become more frequent. This heightened immigration enforcement has caused hardship on American communities and separated families.
Current federal immigration laws and policies limit the ability of immigration officers to consider familial issues in deportation cases.
LIRS's Position
Christian Scripture and tradition uphold the central role of the family in the formation of faith, character, and community. LIRS recognizes the importance of family in building strong communities, and we are deeply concerned that the US immigration system keeps families apart for years and sometimes decades. As faith leaders who provide ministry and services to families nationwide, we see no benefit to anyone when families are separated for this long.
LIRS supports improving the family-based immigration system to ensure the timely reunification of families and more flexibility in immigration law regarding the ability of immigration enforcement officials to keep families together. LIRS is also concerned about recent proposals to repeal the 14th Amendment. Read about "Debunking Harmful and Misguided Birthright Citizenship Proposals" here.
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Family by the Numbers
• 23 years, 2 months — Current longest family visa wait time for siblings of U.S citizens (Department of State Visa Bulletin, September 2011)
• 3 years — Current family visa wait time for spouses and minor children of legal permanent residents (Department of State Visa Bulletin, September 2011)
• 4.5 million — Estimated number of U.S. citizen children who who have families with mixed immigration status (Pew Hispanic Center, 2011)
• 108,434 — Number of parents of U.S. citizen children who were deported from 1998-2007 (DHS Office of Inspector General, January 2009)
Further Reading
Family-Based U.S Immigration: Basic Information and Frequently Asked Questions
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Legislation
HELP Separated Children Act, July 2011
This proposed legislation would provide important protections to children and families affected by immigration enforcement actions. Read LIRS's statement in support of the bill. The HELP Separated Children Act would:
- Determine if individuals apprehended by immigration officials have children in the United States.
- Consider the welfare of children before making a decision regarding the detention, release, or transfer of their parents.
- Allow for regular, confidential phone calls for parents to arrange for the care of their children left behind.
Click here to read a summary of this bill: HELP Separated Children Act
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Take Action
Visit the LIRS Action Center to express your support for family unity in our immigration laws.
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