Immigration Reform

Over the next few years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency will conduct a massive overhaul of their current detention system. This overhaul, when accomplished, will be a welcome relief for immigration lawyers and detainees alike. In the current system, immigrant detainees are held in one of 350 detention facilities sprinkled sporadically throughout the United States. For the most part, the facilities are run by local county authorities and private contractors. The proposed reform seeks to create an Office of Detention Policy and Planning, (ODPP), which will be responsible for planning, designing and executing the creation of a centralized civil detention center more inline with ICE policies and agenda. The current penal approach to immigration detention has led, in some instances, to mistreatment of detainees, poor medical care and inadequate access to legal representation. Hopefully, with more direct management and a centralized civil detention system; detainees will receive the immigration help they need.Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

On June 4, 2009, Representative Michael Honda, a California Democrat, introduced H.R. 2709 Reuniting Families Act, into the House of Representatives. The purpose of this Act is to update immigration laws governing family based immigration. The Act proposes to allow committed partners in homosexual relationships to qualify as immediate relative for immigration purposes. The proposition put forth by this Act turns family based immigration on its head. At present, a marriage is defined under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996. In accordance with DOMA, only a marriage between a man and a woman qualifies for immigration benefits. Only three relationships qualify for immediate relative status under the family based immigration laws of the United States; spouse, parent or minor child. Immediate relatives are exempt from waiting for a visa number to become available and move through the consular processing step of the immediate relative petition rather quickly. H.R. 2709 seeks to modify the traditional definition of marriage for immigration purposes and allow homosexual partners to qualify as immediate relatives. Allowing homosexual partners to qualify for immediate relative status will be a giant step towards progressive immigration reform. The Act also allows spouses and children of legal permanent residents to also qualify for immediate relative status. The provisions of the Act aim to reduce immigration backlog and bring the family based immigration laws into the 21st century. Sources: Reuniting Families Act - H.R. 2709 and Defense of Marriage Act