Remembering the right to Immigrate this Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, remember that American soldiers died so that ALL people could enjoy the right to live as families, to contribute to the world around them, and so that people do not have to hide from oppressive government. Unfortunately, many Americans think that Memorial Day is a day that we celebrate how much better US Citizens are than everyone else, and how important it is that we don't let anyone else into our country. (A little harsh I know, but see my explanation below).

Here is a story about an undocumented man who was just deported this month, leaving behind a U.S. Citizen spouse who suffers an uncertain future. Use this link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-other-side-of-deportation-an-american-struggles-to-prepare-for-life-without-husband/2014/05/24/12de381e-e1ab-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html

My wife and I were only apart for 16 months, because the U.S. government would not allow her to re-enter the country after our first trip to see her family together. We were allowed to file a case with USCIS and I kept working in the US, and visiting her about every six months. It was hard, especially for her. I tried to keep my mind on my to-do list like Zunaid (deported in the above article), thinking just as he said "we will be okay." I visited my members of congress, consulted with lawyers, sought support among local church members, friends, and family. My wife is a lawful permanent resident now, but many of our friends are not so blessed.

Our friend Madina had her husband deported for a minimum of 10 years. Their appeal was denied because of a minor immigration technicality that was introduced in 1996. This 1996 law states that non-criminal violations of immigration policy such as staying over on a visa will no longer be forgiven for those married to a U.S. citizen. The best people, the most community service minded, the most faithful and loving, can now be deported for things as simple as a traffic stop, if they have an immigration policy infraction from anytime in their life. Most people feel sympathetic once they know someone who went through this, but some of my so-called "friends" still comment that it is the fault of the U.S. citizen. They say we could move to our spouse's country. They say, it was our fault to marry the person to begin with. They say we get what was coming to us. Are you ready for what is coming to you? (Not a threat, just something to ponder--whether we are really better or more important/forgivable than anyone else around us.)

Many of us--who suffer from immigration policy--in this position feel that most of our politicians are no better than the Internet trolls who post comments to say that it is the fault of the family. They say we get what was coming to us. They say that if we love our spouses, we would leave behind our sick, dying, or disabled family members; we would leave behind our careers which we spent several years to get specialized in; we would go into countries where we can't speak the language; we would go into countries where our spouses left because they did not want to live there or it was dangerous; we would go there if we really love them. They say it is our fault for getting married in the first place. They say law is God and law comes first.

Some of our friends make considerate comments about how horrible the current laws are. Most of our friends don't have anything to say at all. Some few friends insist on posting bigoted comments like the ones posted on the article linked to above. And other friends still do not post anything nasty to us directly, but I notice the posts in my news feed that talk about how "illegals" are stealing our jobs and should all be sent home or some other anti-reform posts which masquerade as American pride or conservatism. Those posts do not target my family specifically, but those posts do imply an attitude of holier-than-thou and a lack of well-reasoned compassion.

Sometimes when we have been lobbying for years and we have no common-sense bills being moved past committee, sometimes we think that our politicians are just as clueless as the chat room trolls. And it is easy to believe it. They have a lot of other issues on their minds. The world is full of evil. There are murders that suggest a need for gun control. There is drug violence and a lowering of IQ that suggests a need for drug debate. There are issues about education, work, marriage rights. There are issues in these very politicians families. Perhaps they have a rebellious child, perhaps they have a dying mother. There are organ harvesting schemes, and rumors of nuclear attack, and political game playing, and the list never ends. I am not surprised that US citizen mixed status families are really not getting their due of attention, but as one who was apart from his wife for 16 months, I wish it was different.

Illegal Immigration and Love | Lady Liberty, Siren of the Underworld

Paraphrasing one of my friends: "We've been stuck down here for over eleven years! Eleven years wasted on this border because my husband crossed to be with us - is like getting handed a life sentence for an 'act of love'"

I recently registered to vote in Utah, but I could not bring myself to register as a republican as I have done every other time. I agree with many important platform points of the Utah Republican Party, but their immigration statement sickens me.

"We oppose illegal immigration and all forms of ...legal status, for illegal immigrants. We support suspending automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrant parents... We oppose any temporary or 'guest' worker program that would offer an automatic path to citizenship. We believe that current laws against employing illegal immigrants should be vigorously enforced, particularly to stem the now too common crime of identity theft in obtaining employment." (read full platform)

Of course we all wish there was no illegal activity in the world, but the republican platform entirely misses the point that this illegal activity is largely a necessary act of love. There is no good legal option for countless families. America is lying through her teeth when she says "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore." (The New Colossus, Lady Liberty) Her statues say it, her body language says it, but if you believe it for just a minute and actually step over the line and reach for her merciful hand she calls you an illegal, hunts you down, tears you from your young children, and exiles you to a nation you have not seen for decades. This is our lady liberty, lady of the underworld.

Why can't more republicans shake off their chains and wake up to admit what Jeb Bush says in simple terms? The illegal crossing of an immigrant is almost always an act of love that directly harms no-one. It is lady liberty who rears her evil head to punish those who dare believe her lies.

Visa overstay and marriage, Is it lawful to do well?

I usually post about genealogy on this blog, but as any genealogist understands... it is all about families.

We fell in love and she looked at me with sadness in her eyes. Then came her warning: "I'm here on a tourist visa, and have overstayed: we will have a rough road ahead." She questioned whether I would still love her after seeing the difficulties of immigration, and I assured her that I would stand by her always. Neither of us believe in breaking the law. I pondered what it was that brought her to her decision to overstay her visa. She was serving a faith-based mission in the United States for more than a year and had no practical option to travel to her home country as required. She also was not successful in getting any other type of visa, so here she was in the USA doing faith-based service work, and because of the overstay many would consider her an "illegal." She completed her mission honorably and we both ended up in the same church congregation where we served in various assignments and became fast friends. We married, and now we live in two different countries due to problems with waiver law. We need American Families United. We need H.R.3431.

Action point: Contact your representative today and ask them to COSPONSOR H.R.3431.
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

The title for this post is a play on the New Testament book of Matthew 12:12.

Happy Independence Day? - A Nation of Immigrants

http://bit.ly/19Y7YkE

Warning: This post contains opinion about our broken immigration system along with a little history and genealogy.

Unfortunately, in our 237 years as a nation, we still have not learned to treat all immigrants fairly and with compassion.

history.com states:
"in the Mid-19th Century...The influx of newcomers resulted in anti-immigrant sentiment among certain factions of America’s native-born, predominantly Anglo-Saxon Protestant population. The new arrivals were often seen as unwanted competition for jobs, while many Catholics–especially the Irish–experienced discrimination for their religious beliefs. In the 1850s, the anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic American Party (also called the Know-Nothings) tried to severely curb immigration, and even ran a candidate, former U.S. president Millard Fillmore (1800-1874)..."

I am a full 1/8th Irish.

Today, many of the same people who have Irish ancestry are proud of their heritage. I am. Some of these same people are now speaking out against other ethnic groups such as Latin Americans. This behavior is a sad example of the natural man who repeats the pitfalls of our bigoted history.

I always knew that many of my ancestors must have struggled to get here, but I feel this much more clearly now that I am helping my wife to immigrate. She is from Mexico and has felt the sting of prejudice in things as simple as thoughtless comments that others give about our country being "overrun by Mexicans." Such thinking is entirely bigoted and should not have place in the heart of any American. Shortly after we married, we went to Mexico. She only had a visa and we were not well prepared for the difficult immigration system. They border patrol made her stay in Mexico and I had to come back to the USA to keep my job. You might argue that we made a mistake in going to Mexico, but even if you feel that way, I hope you have the compassion to be sympathetic. Should people be punished for wanting to visit their parents? The fact is that my wife and I have been apart for over 9 months in our first year as a couple. I did not set out to marry a foreign born person, but to me it was not a factor. I knew it would be hard to do the paperwork, but it is turning out harder than I expected. I never regret marrying her for a moment, but I am saddened that our great country can't process such a family sensitive case any quicker.

A person should be judged by their personality and not by their ethnicity. They also should not be given unjust or overbearing consequences such as large amounts of time away from a spouse. This Independence Day, may we all remember that God loves everyone just as much as he loves you or me.

These are issues that effect our families, our history, and us

In a recent post on the FamilySearch Blog I read the words: "Hooray for immigrants!" This was an encouraging note for volunteers and potential volunteers of a FamilySearch Indexing project to type the names of roughly 500 million immigrants. Besides the fact that all Americans have an immigrant ancestor, how does this apply to my life today?

My wife and I are in two different countries due to compliance with current immigration law. She is in Mexico preparing for her immigrant visa interview with the US Consulate there. We have been apart for four months that have felt like an eternity and do not know when we will be reunited.

In this situation, I began to ponder: How does this all fit together? As genealogists, do we need to be involved in modern day issues? A powerful, motivational answer for that question can only come from each of us as individuals.

Is a genealogist a politician? Is a genealogist a lobbyist? Is a genealogist a dreamer, a lover, a faithful idealist? Is a genealogist a member of a family today, here and now? In my not so humble words: Of course! Of course, we must be involved. We must open our eyes and see our individual lives and families within the context of an eternal family chain. As genealogists, we should be able to see this eternal perspective more clearly than most. We are not confined to dark corners and dusty books. We are not constrained to the technology which facilitates our search for data.

We must "arise and shine forth." We are the salt of the earth, each of us. Everyone who has a desire to serve is called to the work. Let us more often put aside our individualistic natures. Let us more often live in the present. Let us share what we have. We can share our beloved genealogy. We can write our legislators in support of open records legislation. Can we not take the beckoning call to do more, to be more? We have the power to change the world.

We are changing the world. We are enlightening our friends and family with a glimpse of eternal perspective, a feeling of belonging within a larger family, a feeling of belonging within the human family. This understanding hopefully leads us to greater love for all humankind, and a deeper desire to live today--in our families, in our communities, in our work, and in all ways--to be all that we can be. Let us always be involved.