Aid to Becoming American
Thursday, 25 March 2010 18:12
Rene Franco’s office isn’t grand. The door opens to a cramped, beige room with a tiny window. Two chairs face the plain desk with an outdated computer. But for the people who sit in these chairs, this room is the start of a new life.
Franco is the Program Director for the Catholic Social Services Immigration and Refugee Services. He has worked with the program for 12 years and has helped almost 17,000 immigrants and refugees apply for visas and get citizenship in the U.S.
Franco’s recent aid is to a four-year-old girl that lies in a coma at a local Tucson hospital. She has been diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome and suffered from 3 ½ hour seizures before she slipped into the coma. Her mother is by her side, while the doctors try to save the little girl.
Meanwhile, the child’s father is still in Mexico and unable to cross the border. Franco is trying to change that.
“I got a call from Gabrielle Giffords,” said Franco, “We are trying to get him a humanitarian visa.”
This is just one of the many stories that Franco has played a part in over the years. He helps reunite families from all over the world.
“I just did someone from Libia a couple months ago,” said Franco.
According to the CSS annual report, last year the Immigration Services helped people from 33 different countries. But Franco says the majority of applicants are from Latin American countries.
Immigration is not Immediate
The process for applying and receiving citizenship is grueling and long. Each month Franco prints a visa bulletin issued by the government that shows the number of visas issued and when the application would need to be submitted in order to receive a visa that month.
Franco used the example that someone trying to immigrate their brother and receive a visa in February 2010, would need to have filed their petition in December 1995.
This time frame also changes depending on what type of visa you are applying for based on the relationship you have to your sponsor. Franco said for a mother to bring her underage son, it could take six months or less, but an adult son would need to have applied in September of 1992.
Of the 1200-1600 people that CSS consulted with last year, only about half qualified for citizenship. Most of the people who come to Franco already have green cards and are looking to apply for permanent residence.
How Anti-Immigrant Laws Affect People
Because the immigration laws are federal laws, they don’t directly affect the services that CSS offers but they do target the people they are trying to help.
“Now it’s the fear at the state level of the anti-immigration laws,” said Franco.
With the current laws anyone can be picked up by the police or border patrol and face deportation. Even if they have already applied for citizenship, they can still be illegal and deported.
“We let people know their rights and to be quiet. If they are asked to sign a deportation document politely refuse and ask for an immigration lawyer,” said Franco.
The CSS opposes the anti-immigration laws that are being passed. Bishop Gerald Kicanas has publically opposed the state government's immigration policies, strongly urging humane immigration laws.
Click here, to see a list of local Immigration Counseling Services on our Resource Page.
Written by Whitney Misenhimer You are reading Aid to Becoming American articles
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