Section 245(i) Extension Introduced in Senate

Senator Daschle (D-SD), the Senate Majority leader, introduced on May 9 the Uniting Families Act of 2002, S. 2493, that extends Section 245(i). Under this measure, the filing deadline would be extended until April 30, 2003, and would continue to require applicants to prove they were physically present in the U.S. on December 21, 2000.

This extension, unlike other proposed extensions, does NOT include any date by which someone would have had to have established a relationship or filed a labor certification. Rather, the bill reiterates that people are ineligible for Section 245(i) based on marriage fraud (Section 237(a)(1)(G)), and security and related grounds (Section 212(a)(3) and Section 237(a)(4)) that already exist in the law.

Because the House leadership appears to support the more restrictive extension of Section 245(i) that includes the August 15 eligibility date, it remains an uphill battle for a good measure to pass Congress this session.

Opponents of Section 245(i) are continuing their disinformation campaign, alleging that Section 245(i) is an amnesty and provides a haven for terrorists. Information to help rebut these allegations that are meant to mislead and cause fear can be found on AILA InfoNet and Newsroom at http://www.aila.org/newsroom/02040534_pressrelease.html

Please contact your Senators and ask them to both cosponsor and support this excellent extension of Section 245(i). The Congressional Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.