Today is a bittersweet day for the immigrant community. Thanks to President Barack Obama's action, millions of people will be protected from deportation. However, many millions more will still not be able to come out of the shadows because the U.S. Congress has not reached an agreement to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
This is not only affecting the immigrant community. Congress' inaction is hurting our nation because the immigration system is inefficient - separating families and preventing foreign professionals from being able to stay in the U.S. to contribute to the country's economic growth. For this and many other reasons, we need it fixed as soon as possible.
What President Obama did today is within his executive authority and honors our nation that was built by immigrants.
President Obama cannot legislate, because that is the job of Congress, but he can take certain actions within the confines of the law and his executive power.
Every immigrant should proceed with caution, because not everyone will be eligible for the immigration benefits announced today by President Obama.
They must be very carefully evaluated by a licensed and experienced immigration attorney or federally accredited representative to determine your immigration options. Avoid notarios, immigration consultants, paper pushers and multiservices, because these people cannot give you legal advice.
If you have limited financial resources, go to non-profit organizations that are duly licensed by the federal government. These organizations must have attorneys or accredited representatives working for them and must charge a minimal fee for their legal services.
You can find the list of them by clicking here.
Please only go to these organizations if you are truly in financial need. There are very few non-profit organizations to serve the low-income immigrant community and many people in need of these services.
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