Group pressures for extension of "Section 245(i)" for immigrants

Maria Peña, EFE - 6/3/2002: WASHINGTON - More than 1,200 community activists from 39 U.S. states will pressure Congress on Monday to approve an extension of an immigration law that would allow thousands of illegal aliens to apply for permanent residency without leaving the country.

The activists, members of the National People's Action (NPA) coalition, arrived in Washington over the weekend to champion several immigration measures but particularly extension of "Section 245(i)," which has been languishing in Congress.

"We want to tell Congress that 245(i) is not an amnesty, as many allege. Rather, it is a first step toward acknowledging the contributions of immigrants in this country," Emira Palacios, one of the three NPA co-chairs, told EFE.

"This country would not function well if the undocumented immigrants were deported," said the Mexican activist from Wichita, Kansas.

"We are in the fields, in the hotels, in construction, and because we are undocumented, rather than receiving social benefits, we are the ones contributing to the economy of the country," she said.

The number of illegal immigrants in the United States is estimated at around 11 million, most of them employed in services, agriculture and other low-wage jobs.

Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, also known as the "fine law," allows illegal aliens to apply for a green card - either through a work contract or a family relationship - in the United States, provided they pay a fine of 1,000 dollars.

Without this law, aliens would have to return to their countries of origin and wait for a reply from the U.S. consulate determining the outcome of their case. [ Continue..... ]