From The Readers

From Dennis Mondero of CMAA

As the warm weather nears and Chicagoans can enjoy being outside much more, it’s also a reminder that in some neighborhoods of Chicago, the warm weather leads to a sobering uptick in violence among our young people. This morning, I participated in an On the Table breakfast hosted by Alderman Harry Osterman and Uptown United, and it was poignant to hear from community leaders like Ed Kuske and Roy Lipscomb, as well as Judy Gall, Executive Director of Alternatives. One takeaway that I have is it’s so important for more individuals in our community to serve as positive role models and mentor our youth.

So if you have a chance, I urge you to volunteer at great organizations like Alternatives, Big Brothers Big Sisters, or at Chinese Mutual Aid Association. For years, CMAA has had a very popular group mentoring program for middle and high school young women called Young Women Warriors.

This summer, I pledge to resurrect a young men’s group mentoring program that will rely on a few CMAA staff, but will need volunteers from the community to be truly successful. Will you join us to be a positive role model? Together, we can make a difference. And I’m proud to work every day with colleagues that make a significant difference in the community.

Dennis Mondero

Executive Director

Chinese Mutual Aid Association

 

C i t i z e n s h i p Applications Are On The Rise, And The Reasons Are Interesting

American Permanent Residents seem to be applying for citizenship in massive numbers. A number of factors have caused this rise, including Presidential Order 13768, which few people SUBSCRIPTION are aware of due to the lack of publicity surrounding it. Any foreign person in this country with a criminal record of any kind is a priority for removal. Many foreign people are traveling to visit aging parents or to take vacations, only to discover that they are unable to re-enter the United States. Simply speaking, even a charge for shoplifting can keep a Permanent Resident or visa holder out of the United States, despite the fact that their children, careers, and homes are here. Expungements, contrary to popular belief, do not count for immigration purposes.

Permanent Residents with criminal records should file an immigration waiver in order to have any offense ‘waived’, or overlooked. Absent a winning waiver, a simple traffic stop is all it takes to turn someone’s life upside down.

One would hope that love of country is the reason people apply for citizenship, but there are many other benefits to being a US citizen:

Voting is only possible for a citizen. If someone wants to sponsor their parents, for a Green Card, it is only possible if the petitioning party is a citizen.

If someone wants to sponsor a foreign spouse or child, the procedure is much faster if the petitioner is a citizen.

If someone falls in love with a foreign person and wants to petition the person for a fiancé/ee visa, it is only possible if the petitioner is a citizen.

If someone is seeking to spend extended time outside the country with aging parents or on a retirement vacation, it is safer to do so as a citizen as Permanent Residence can be lost in a year.

There are a number of reasons people apply for U.S. Citizenship, and now more than ever, people are filing in order to protect their ability to remain in the United States with their families and their lives. STEVEN RIZNYK

Steven Riznyk is a business and immigration attorney with myImmigrationAttorney.com, and has been practicing for 29 years. An author, he creates cases for the public and immigration lawyers. He has been training lawyers for decades in the complex areas of immigration law. He can be reached at (619) 677-5727 or contact@SanDiegoBizLaw.com.