MRS > Migration Policy and Public Affair Office > Statement of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
Bishop of Camden, New Jersey
Chairman, NCCB Committee on Migration
September 13, 2000
I am Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops' Committee on Migration. The U.S. Catholic bishops support a legislative program which supports immigrant families and would assist several immigrant populations that, in our view, are deserving of the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents of the United States. These groups have lived in the United States for years and have established strong ties in their local communities, but, for various reasons, have been denied the opportunity to remain in our country on a permanent basis.
The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) permits Nicaraguans and Cubans who fled persecution in their countries during the 1980s and have been present in the United States since December 1, 1995, an opportunity to adjust to lawful permanent resident status. However, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, and Haitians–similarly-situated groups who also left their homelands for similar reasons during the same period–either did not receive equal treatment under NACARA or were excluded from the legislation altogether. While Congress assisted a small number of Haitians under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 (HRIFA), the legislation limited the number of Haitians eligible for legal permanent residence.
The U.S. Catholic bishops strongly believe that similarly-situated groups should receive equal treatment under our immigration laws. In this regard, we support legislation introduced in Congress (H.R. 2722, S. 2912) which would address the unequal solutions provided similarly-situated Central Americans and Haitians.
Secondly, we also support legislation (S. 2912, HR 4138) which would amend section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to allow immigrants who have resided in the United States since 1986 to become lawful permanent residents. Revising the INA registry provision from 1972 to 1986 would permit long-term residents who have begun families, started businesses, bought homes, and otherwise established equities in our country to remain in the United States and permanently contribute to the economic and social fabric of our nation. It also would advance family unity by ensuring that certain family members of mixed-status families are not eventually deported back to a country which they do not know, thereby separating them indefinitely from their U.S.-citizen family members.
Updating the INA registry provision to 1986 not only would provide relief to many long-term immigrant residents, but also would assist approximately 350,000 immigrants who were either wrongly rejected or denied the opportunity to apply for legalization under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). As a result, these individuals have remained in an indefinite legal status for years, with no current hope for permanent residency and facing the prospect that they could soon lose their work authorization and be deported back to their country of origin.
We also support a provision in the proposed FY 2001 federal budget and S. 2912 which would restore section 245 (i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Before its sunset a few years ago, section 245 (i) of the INA permitted certain family and employment-sponsored individuals present in the United States to adjust their immigration status without having to return to their country of origin in order to obtain their visa. Prior to its elimination, Section 245(i) streamlined the adjustment process, making it more convenient for both the applicants and government agencies involved, and eased the burden on families by not forcing family members to return to their country of origin to retrieve a visa. It also generated substantial income for the federal government through application fees–more than $200 million in Fiscal Year 1997–and contributed to an estimated 30 percent reduction in annual consulate visa caseload.
Restoration of Section 245 (i) would help improve the visa processing system, provide additional revenue for the immigration functions of our government, and, most importantly, keep families together. It would be a disservice to our government and immigrants who have built equities in our country if Congress fails to revisit this important issue in the near future.
Taken together, these issues comprise a legislative program which we believe supports family unity and would help bring justice to long-term immigrant residents in the United States who have strengthened our nation over the years. We ask that Congress consider and enact these proposals prior to adjournment of the 106th Congress.