Can a Houston Immigration Lawyer Help You Gain Citizenship?

Congress may be headed home for their annual August recess, but the American public expects them to resume contemplating immigration reform as soon as they return in September. There are strong feelings among Americans regarding immigration. Members of Congress are hearing from business owners, labor and law enforcement leaders and the general public demanding legislation which will fix our broken immigration system by offering a fair path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S.

Part of the immigration reform bill includes building a 2,000 mile fence consisting of 18 ft. steel columns all along the Mexican-American border. This border land is largely public in New Mexico, Arizona and California and stretches of the fence already exist in those states, however Texas is another matter. The vast majority of the land the federal government plans to build the border fence across belongs to private individuals—largely farmers. Understandably, these landowners are not happy about having the federal government take their land under condemnation laws. In fact, lawsuits regarding the issue have been ongoing in Texas courts since 2008. Many Texans—and those across the nation—believe the proposed fence is hardly a “fix” to the immigration problem therefore are opposed to the $3.9 million per mile price tag.

Fixing the Current Immigration Laws

There are many areas of the current immigration laws which are ambiguous, to say the least. The laws are also incredibly complex, making it extremely difficult for the average person to properly file all paperwork within the time limits mandated. The filing fees can also be steep for those who are working for less than minimum wage. Texas, perhaps more than any other state, has much at stake in the immigration debate. It is estimated that Texas currently has over 4.2 million immigrants living and working in the state, making up 22 percent of the total labor force. In fact, in the past decade, nine out of every ten new residents in the state fell into a minority category. Since Texas economy grew nearly twice as much as that of the rest of the country, it can be concluded that immigrants had much to do with this growth.

Help for Those Seeking Legal Citizenship

Former president George W. Bush stated in a recent immigration ceremony that “Each generation of Americans—of immigrants—brings a renewal to our national character and adds vitality to our culture…” Immigrants who become citizens of the U.S. will, on average, increase their annual incomes by about 11% while those who learn the English language will add about 15% to their annual income. Undocumented immigrants deserve a fair path to citizenship in order to take part in everything the nation offers. While feelings are strong regarding immigration reform and the end result of the proposed immigration bill is as yet unknown, those who have lived under a cloud as an undocumented immigrant could benefit from speaking to a knowledgeable Houston immigration attorney. There are many ways to gain legal citizenship, however having an attorney guide you through the complex process can make it truly possible.