Some have been waiting for more than 13 years.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: While the current administration battles to move forward with its plans to overhaul immigration policy and grant amnesty to undocumented immigrants, the number of foreign nationals trying to legally enter the United States has rocketed to 4.4 million, over 100,000 more than last year, according to the State Department.
According to a blog post cited by the Washington Examiner and written by policy analyst Jessica Vaughan, of the Center for Immigration Studies, unlike undocumented immigrants who traversed the borders, some on the federal waiting list have been there upwards of 13 years while they observe the proper protocols to enter the country.
“The existence of this massive waiting list of eligible applicants for family immigrant visas and green cards raises important questions for policymakers,” wrote Vaughan.
“First, there is clearly no shortage of eligible immigrants being sponsored by family members and employers who are waiting many years for their opportunity to be admitted legally. Any move by the president to relax eligibility standards or grant benefits such as work permits, deferred action, or parole to illegal aliens is profoundly unfair and destructive to the integrity of the legal system because it gives illegal aliens preferential treatment over those applying through the legal process established by Congress,” she explained.
She also claimed fairness was an issue.
“Our legal immigration system is promising the opportunity of a green card to millions more people than realistically can be admitted in a reasonable time frame. This seems more like a cruel joke than a responsible immigration policy,” wrote Vaughan.