What Immigrants Should Know about the Latest Standoff between the President and Congress
For many immigrants, adapting to American culture is difficult – especially if you move to an area where you don’t know many people or where there are only a few people who share your native culture. It can be especially difficult to reconcile how our political system is supposed to act with how our legislators actually behave. (Don’t worry; people born in this country have some of the same difficulties.)
Immigration has been in the national spotlight lately, more, it seems, than ever before. And the latest challenge has involved trying to pass legislation with immigration riders (or laws) by threatening to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. In layman’s terms, because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is a part of Homeland Security, the House of Representatives, controlled by Republicans, is threatening to shut down funding for the entire DHS unless President Obama backs down on his executive orders about immigration and deportation relief.
The plan probably won’t work for a number of reasons:
- USCIS is mostly funded (to the tune of 95%) by immigration applications, so it won’t cease to function if Congress actually pulls DHS funding. You can still apply for visas, start your path to citizenship, or fight against removal even if the DHS shuts down.
- The President had decided not to negotiate with Congress when it comes to threats of shutdowns, choosing instead to let them happen – and let Congress suffer the backlash.
- The President has put his plans on hold because of a ruling from a judge in Texas, so the shutdown threats, at the moment, are more posturing than real and realistic.
Now, immigrants need not fret or worry about whether or not Congress succeeds in shutting down the DHS. Last week they approved another week’s worth of funding, so things should proceed in the status quo. It is more important to watch how the ruling from the Texas court proceeds because that has the potential to affect immigrants and their families throughout the country.
At the Law Office of Perry A. Craft, PLLC we help immigrants assess their needs and reach their goals in Tennessee and across the country. To speak to an immigration lawyer about your plans, please contact our office.
