IMMIGRATION REFORM, THE FAILURE TO COMPROMISE

Let me start out by saying there are people on both sides of the immigration debate who are equally passionate in their arguments and equally love this country. To be on either side of the argument doesn’t make you more or less American. In fact, having a serious debate on any important subject is a very American thing to do.

Sometimes I think we forget we live in America. What do I mean? I mean there are many differing views on many subjects and no one person gets to decide. We all have to decide together. Which means often times we have to compromise. Unfortunately, the word compromise is no longer in our vocabulary. It has become a dirty word or a sign of weakness.

It has been said that a person who never compromises is a strong person. I have news for you. The Constitution of the United States would never have been adopted if it weren’t for people who were willing to compromise. Would you consider our founding fathers to be a strong group of people or weak? I submit to you they were the strongest most dedicated group of people ever to assemble for the purpose of uniting the states and resolving the problems associated with forming the United States of America. Yet resolving those issues would never have been possible without compromise. The foundation of the United States of America was built on compromise. There would be no United States of America without it.

I’m not talking about compromising your core values. One should never compromise on their faith, family, friends, or what makes them a person of character. Those things are not open for discussion. However, everything else is. Herein lies the problem with our politics in the 21^st century. No one is willing to compromise. It’s either my way or the highway. Can you imagine this? The very thing that helped create the greatest country ever on the face of the earth is absent when it comes to our immigration problem and many other problems our country faces today.

When it comes to immigration, some believe the borders should be better secured. Others believe in open borders. Some believe in amnesty. Others believe in a pathway to citizenship. And some believe they should all be deported. Every single American has a right to express anyone of these views. It’s called the American way. We all have the right to passionately argue our point of view as the issues go through the democratic process. However, somewhere along the line there must be compromise otherwise we will never resolve the problem.

As an immigration lawyer, I understand I’m not going to get everything I want in the immigration bill because I’m not the only American! It’s that simple. The opposite is also true. Those who are against any kind of immigration reform shouldn’t be able to block everything from going through because they’re not the only Americans! We are all Americans and must find a way to work together to solve the problem, regardless of what side of the political spectrum we fall under.

For example, some argue in congress there should be 40,000 more border patrol agents on the border before they would agree to the immigration bill. Other say there should only be 20,000. Are you telling me there is no room for compromise here?! Without a compromise there will be no increase in security at all! How is that a good thing? I would rather have twenty or thirty thousand than nothing! It makes me wonder if some in congress really care – the status quo seems to be just fine with them. It simply doesn’t make any sense.

The same is true when it comes to building a fence. Some say they want 700 miles of fencing and some say they want more or less. Still others argue the pathway to citizenship should be 10 years and some say 13 years. I could go on and on regarding each point in the immigration bill. However, one thing is for certain, the American people want the immigration problem solved. Poll after poll shows 75% of the American people are for a humane approach to the problem.

I have a great idea. Something I learned in kindergarten. Why don’t we meet in the middle and shake hands. Sounds like I’m joking but I’m really not. If you ever lived in a college dorm, you learned to compromise. If you ever had a roommate, you had to learn how to compromise. Anytime you live with other people, or go into business with another, you learned the art of compromise.

Unfortunately, instead of compromising we each sit in our respective corners and claim how right we are and how everyone else is wrong. This seems to be the way of our politics today.

No one believes more than I that our borders should be secure. No one believes more than I that the American people should be safe. But I also believe we have to treat others humanly. The immigration problem has been going on for so long it has now become a humanitarian issue. It is no longer simply a law enforcement issue. Is there room for compromise? Is there a way we can find common ground? I still believe in the American dream. And I still believe in the American people. I say yes. I believe we can solve this problem together.

I have read the federalist papers. I have researched our history. I have found out about the debates and the compromises that took place to form our great country.

The fact is we should all be more like our founding fathers.

We should all be Americans.

William A. Streppone

http://www.immigrationlawyer-ny.com/

streppone@optonline.net

GREAT NEWS FOR IMMIGRANTS WHO ENTERED THE U.S. ILLEGALLY

Effective March 4^th 2013, certain qualifying immigrants who entered the United States illegally will now be eligible to file for a waiver IN THE UNITED STATES rather than outside the United States. This means the immigrant can waive the 3 or 10 year bar allowing them to apply for a green card while significantly improving the time the waiver is adjudicated and the time it takes to reunite them with their families in the United States.

This is fantastic news for those who were unable to previously obtain a green card because of their illegal entry into the United States.

To Be Eligible For This WAIVER The Immigrant Must Prove The Following:

1. The alien must be an immediate relative (a spouse; a parent; or child under the age of 21 and unmarried) of a United States Citizen.

2. The alien must be the beneficiary of an approved petition.

3. The alien applicant must be at least 17 years of age.

4. The immigrant must prove their immediate U.S. Citizen Relative would suffer extreme hardship if the immigrant was not permitted to remain in the United States.

5. File proper application, fee and supporting documentation with USCIS.

There are many other important parts to this law. However, if you meet the above requirements you are encouraged to visit our law firm at http://www.immigrationlawyer-ny.com/  and to call 631-265-3988 for a free consultation. We will review your entire case and advise you if you are eligible to file for the WAIVER.

Many immigrants have been waiting for this law to be finalized. If you think you are eligible, do not hesitate to contact our office.

William A. Streppone

Law Offices of William A. Streppone

631-265-3988

http://www.immigrationlawyer-ny.com/

A Beautiful Story

It was a privilege and an honor for the Law Offices of William A. Streppone to represent Abdeen and his Uncle Hasan pro bono. Everyone jumped for joy when their cases were approved. It is a very special story which can be read by clicking the links below.

This story is really about so many people who volunteered their time to help this family; it’s about our U.S. military doctors who saved Abdeen’s life; it’s about the people who donated money anonymously to help with necessities; it’s about the people who invited Abdeen and his uncle into their homes giving them a place to stay; and it’s about the many doctors who donated countless hours to reconstruct Abdeen’s appearance.

God bless this family and God bless this little boy who inspired us all!

Click the links below for full story:

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/to-iraqi-family-s-relief-li-is-now-home-1.4029552

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/abdeen-we-re-americans-now-1.4029017#1

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/abdeen-we-re-americans-now-1.4029017#4

What is Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals?

President Obama recently signed an executive order permitting certain children who arrived in the United States illegally or who are now out of status, to apply for deferred action. Deferred action allows these individuals to work legally in the United States without fear of deportation. Those who are eligible must file applications with USCIS. After being fingerprinted for background checks, they will receive a work permit permitting them to work legally in the United States.

You may request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals if you:

1.     Were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012;

2.     Came to the United States before reaching your 16th birthday;

3.     Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time;

4.     Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making your request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS;

5.     Entered without inspection before June 15, 2012, or your lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012;

6.     Are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and

7.     Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

Individuals who meet the eligibility requirements may begin to request consideration for deferred action by filing the appropriate applications on or after August 15, 2012.

Most of these individuals have been in the United States for many years and the United States is the only country they know. This is a move in the right direction. It is a humane approach to a very difficult problem.

However, the problem will not be solved until we pass comprehensive immigration reform. Deferred action is a temporary fix that does not confer legal status on the immigrant. It only permits them to work legally in the United States. Comprehensive immigration reform is a permanent humane approach to the problem.

Nevertheless, President Obama’s executive order is a good start.

William Streppone, Immigration Attorney, Releases 11 Videos Arguing for a Humane Approach to Our Immigration Problem - 'A Humane Approach is the Only Real Solution' 
In the videos, William Streppone’s arguments crush the same old clichés many use to argue against a humane approach.

William Streppone addresses each one of these common arguments:

"They broke the law therefore they must be deported"
"We should not reward people who break the law"
"Pathway to citizenship will be an incentive for more illegal immigrants"
"E-verify would resolve the problem"
"All we have to do is enforce the laws already on the books"


CLICK EACH TITLE BELOW FOR VIDEO

They broke the law therefore they must be deported
What is the rule of law? Immigration attorney, William Streppone, argues in this video that the rule of law is not only the statues on the books, but also takes into account extenuating circumstances and other issues before rendering punishment.

We should not reward people who break the law
In this video, William Streppone, smashes the old myth that giving illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship is somehow rewarding bad behavior. He argues that they're already here and have been here for many years. It would be better to have them contribute to our healthcare system and pay taxes than to spend to money it would cost to chase them down and deport them.

Pathway to citizenship will be an incentive for more illegal immigrants
William Streppone destroys the myth that if a pathway to citizenship is enacted, it will create an incentive for more illegal immigrants to come to the United States. The myth sounds reasonable and is often repeated, but when analized closely it becomes clear it is simply a myth.

E-verify would resolve the problem
In this video William Streppone discusses “e verify”. "It is a good idea in principle but would have a devastating effect on innocent people if implemented now."

All we have to do is enforce the laws already on the books
Unfortunately, the problem is so big enforcing the laws on the books will never work. The laws on the books were not designed to handle millions of illegal immigrants. Therefore, it is paramount we get our immigration problem under control before we spend time enforcing the laws already on the books.

Just deport them all
This video shows it is impractical to deport all the illegal immigrants. Not only is it the wrong thing to do, but the cost would be enormous.Therefore, a humane approach to resolve the immigration problem must be implemented. Simply put, when dealing with human beings the solution must be humane. After all, the word humane comes from the word human.

To see the videos addressing each point above, go to:

http://www.immigration-debate.com/

William A. Streppone

William Streppone Reviews, “They Come to America”

William A. Streppone, Immigration Attorney

A Participant in the Movie

"They Come to America"

            There is an old saying I heard many times over regarding media attention. That is, “don’t care about anything else - just make sure they spell your name correctly”. That advice simply doesn’t work for me. I’ve been working as an immigration attorney for more than 16 years. I’ve been fighting for a humane approach in resolving our immigration problem. That message is most important to me. Of course I want my name spelled correctly, but most importantly I want my message to get out. We must deal with our immigration problem humanely!


            The movie, They Come to America, is a movie about the problems and the cost of illegal immigration. You can get more information about the movie at, theycometoamerica.com.

            As a participant in the movie, I was disappointed in the final result. There were so many issues left out of the movie that should have been in. For example, in the movie John Roland, a retired Fox anchor, asked three different politicians in Florida if they had solutions to the immigration problem, and if they didn’t why should anyone vote for them. Yet the movie itself does not address any solutions to the immigration problem. If it wasn't an important question why ask it? Hence, in the spirit of John Roland’s question, why should this movie be taken seriously as a documentary if it doesn’t address solutions? As a matter of fact, one politician, Alex Sink, actually mentioned comprehensive immigration reform as a solution and it was never followed up on.

I was interviewed for the movie for more than three hours and none of my points on solutions made it into the movie. At one point the director asked he wished someone could give him a reason why anyone would be against making “e verify” mandatory. Yet I nor anyone else was asked that question in the documentary.

In addition, there were five experts in the movie. Three of the experts well known for their stance against comprehensive immigration reform were never challenged by the director on any subject at all! However, a lobbyist and myself were constantly challenged by the director to the point where the director actually injected his own opinions during the interview. Moreover, during many of the clips, I’m either challenged by the director or rebuffed by a following clip without an opportunity to respond. This never happened to the pro “Deport them all” experts.

            Furthermore, the movie mainly focuses on Latinos and Hispanics. Yet 40 percent of all illegal immigrants do not come through our borders but are visa violators. These are people who come from all around the world and who overstay their visas. If you are Latino or Hispanic watching this movie you would feel singled out. Moreover, those who attacked us on 9/11 were not Latinos but rather members of the al-Qaeda organization who came into the U.S. legally and overstayed their visas or otherwise violated their visas. They did not come through the border! Yet the movie only focuses on the border. 


            The director's response to this is if he had seen other nationalities he would have filmed them. He said he pointed his camera at what he saw and this is what he got. That answer is unacceptable. I suggest he do a little more homework next time and point his camera in a different direction. He would have seen the other 40 percent!


                 One part of the movie actually suggests that people who come to America don't want to stay in America but just want to make money and return to their countries. This is highlighted by an interview with one immigrant! I guess we no longer have to deport illegal immigrants because they are going to leave anyway. Of course I'm joking. This depiction is so unfair anyone, regardless of the political spectrum they fall under, would find this incredibly unfair. I guess millions of immigrants are fighting for legalization in this country because they want to leave. Why would anyone want comprehensive immigration reform if most want to return to their country? It makes no sense.

            There were some small parts of the movie I liked. For example, the part showing the drug cartel compound right at the border and a scene where the entire film crew crosses the border and approaches the compound. That was every exciting. I think we can all agree we have to do something about the drugs entering our country.

            In addition, the most emotional part of the movie was the speech given by a valedictorian in her class who was brought to the U.S. by her parents when she was a child. She has done everything she could to fit in to our society yet is still considered illegal and an outcast. Her emotional speech was very moving and highlights many of the problems young people face in her position.

            However, in the final analysis, the movie is just plain unfair. It is not an honest look at both sides of the issue. Unfortunately, it's an attempt by the director to fool people into thinking it is unbiased. Fortunately, most film festivals and other media outlets have rejected this movie - not just the Hollywood elites, but film festivals from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected this movie.

            I have put a webpage together focusing on important issues that were not in the movie. I give detailed answers to many of the common questions people have on this topic. I also attack many of the clichés used to argue against a humane approach to our immigration problem.

            Please check out immigration-debate.com for more information.

Thank you,

William A. Streppone

Immigration Attorney

streppone@optonline.net

http://www.immigration-debate.com/

NONE OF THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE TRULY CONSERVATIVE

The problem with the immigration debate is most of the republican candidates are treating it as though illegal immigrants recently arrived in the U.S. As a result, their solutions are not practical. THEY ARE NOT TREATING THIS SUBJECT IN A TRULY CONSERVATIVE MANNER.

For example, the republican candidates say we should deport all the illegal immigrants. This idea would be fine if there were only five thousand illegal immigrants who recently entered the country. We could afford to do that. However, there are more than twenty million in the U.S. today. The expense to deport would be enormous. It’s funny how some republicans don’t care about the deficit when it comes to deportation. They are willing to spend whatever it costs. That doesn't sound like a true conservative to me.

The republican candidates also suggest we should not spend any taxpayer dollars to educate illegal immigrant children. Again, many children have been here for close to twenty years through no fault of their own. Our choice is to either educate them or to allow them to become a drag on sociey. The cost to society NOT to educate would be much greater than any cost to educate. We must be concerned about our long term deficits.
Any true conservative would be.

The republican candidates support punishing all employers who hire illegal immigrants. This view fails to recognize that American citizens would be adversely affected since many illegal workers support American spouses and American children. In other words they are advocating firing the main breadwinner and forcing their dependents on public assistance. Again, what happen to the republican’s great concern about the deficit?

The solutions to the immigration problem must be practical and humane.

Number one, we must secure the borders. The border can be secured by utilizing technology; boots on the ground and fences in certain areas. The idea that we need a fence around our entire country is ridiculous. Our technology has the ability to see a silver dollar on the ground from outer space – and can tell if its heads or tails. Yet somehow many claim that technology can’t see a Mexican trying to cross our border. Give
me a break - If the Mexican is that smart we should let him in for free and give him a full scholarship to our finest schools. The fact is a virtual fence can be a great tool in helping secure our borders.

Secondly, we must deal with those illegal immigrants already present in the United States. After paying substantial fines for breaking our laws, we must come up with a fair and humane pathway to citizenship. As I stated above, deportation is not practical.

Finally, when we have our immigration problem under control, we can begin to consider some of the things the republican candidates are advocating to prevent to problem from happeing again. However, this can only be done when the current problem has been resoloved - and not before.

The sad truth is the republican candidates, with the exception of Rick Perry, are not being thoughtful on this subject. They are simply throwing out red-meat to their constituents rather than dealing with the real and practical solutions. It is so easy just to say “DEPORT THEM ALL!” It gets the crowed all worked up and you really look like a true conservative.

The last time I checked, a true conservative was a God fearing man or woman. How we treat other human beings, even when they are wrong, is of great concern to me and should be of great concern to every true conservative out there.