Some of the reasons seem to be financial challenges arising from waiting for work permits and other factors. Earlier this summer, the New York Times reported that work permit waiting times for certain visa applicants had been extended to up to five years due to government backlogs. While BuzzFeed News reports that family reunions are going through a faster process, the wait could be months.
Lisy is one of the waiting people, reports BuzzFeed News. After four years of separation, she was reunited with her two boys last month. But the family they live with has asked her to contribute to the rent soon and she said she had no idea how to help. She called her current situation “another trauma because I’m with them and can’t get them the things they need. I do not have work. I have nothing to offer. “
A civil servant told BuzzFeed News its family reunification task force “Working with the private sector to provide housing as needed to families we are reuniting who have been separated under the Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy.” The report said that the task force While also seeking common ways to support families, including direct assistance, “the documents indicate that it is unclear whether the government has the authority to fund the process”.
Respectful, the Biden administration has to fucking find out. While this was an immigration policy implemented and carried out by the previous government, we have a moral obligation to do what is right for these families.
In addition, compensation for separated families should include a path to citizenship, argued advocates and leading Democrats. Unfortunately, there has been no real movement in Congress since the introduction of the Families Belong Together Act. The previous government was forced to pay for mental health care for separated families, and field workers have since reached about 1,000 families. Some parents have also gone to court to seek damages from the federal government.
Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Carol Anne Donohoe, executive attorney for the family reunification project of the legal aid organization Al Otro Lado, sums it up bluntly: “In the meantime, these families need to figure out how to take care of themselves. … The public sees these parents and children hugging at the airport on the news and has no idea what comes after, “she said.
“The US government needs to help families and provide access to mental health and other critical support services needed to start healing,” Kids In Need of Defense tweeted in response to the report. “Victims of family separation deserve the resources and support they need to recover from trauma and live safely in their communities,” tweeted Families Belong Together. “Congress has to #FamiliesBelongTogether Take action to make sure they are getting the healing they need. “
“I am very grateful that I can go into the country and reunite with my sons,” Lisy told BuzzFeed News. “But as much as it hurts me to ask, I need help.”
Comments are closed.