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  1. #1
    Senior Member HAPPY2BME's Avatar
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    Obama's solution helps bring peace to military conflict (amnesty via military)

    By Daniel González
    The Republic | azcentral.com
    Sun Dec 1, 2013 11:39 PM

    Thousands of military families may benefit, experts say.

    Now, undocumented relatives of military personnel will be able to apply for parole to remain in the country legally, opening the door to seek permanent residency, known as green cards.
    Obama's solution helps bring peace to military conflict

    A new White House policy will allow undocumented military relatives to be eligible for legal status in United States.


    The siblings of Arizona Army National Guardsman Gabriel Zermeño (left) of Phoenix are protected from deportation. But their father, Jose (right), faces the threat. They hope he can get legal status through a kind of parole.
    Mark Henle/The Republic

    PHOENIX — As a member of the Arizona Army National Guard, Gabriel Zermeño has been preparing for almost two years to be deployed overseas.

    But the country he signed up to defend also could one day deport his father.

    STORY: Feds to halt military relatives' deportations
    STORY: Advocates redouble efforts on reform

    The reason? Zermeño, 21, is a citizen born in the USA, but his father, José Zermeño, 53, is an immigrant from Mexico who has been living in the U.S. illegally for more than 30 years and has faced deportation proceedings.

    "At any moment, I could be overseas fighting for my country and he could be getting deported by the same country I was supposed to be fighting for," Gabriel Zermeño said.

    Soon, however, the elder Zermeño may be able to legalize his status, possibly within a couple of months, thanks to a new policy from President Barack Obama's administration.

    The policy, which went into effect Nov. 15, allows the undocumented spouses, children and parents of military personnel to be "paroled" into the United States.

    Once paroled, undocumented relatives then will be able to apply for green cards without first having to go back to their home countries, where those who entered illegally face bans from returning to the U.S. for up to 10 years.

    Thousands of military families may benefit, experts say.

    Parole-in-place is granted on a discretionary, case-by-case basis, for urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit reasons.— Peter Boogaard, Department of Homeland Security

    The policy comes as Obama is under growing pressure from immigration-reform advocates to take steps on his own to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation as immigration overhaul remains stalled in Congress.

    The policy has been hailed by military and immigrant advocates. They say the policy will improve military readiness by alleviating some of the stress and distractions of military personnel as they attempt to legalize the status of undocumented relatives.

    "This has been causing a lot of problems for the military," said Margaret Stock, an immigration lawyer in Alaska and retired military-police lieutenant colonel. She specializes in immigration cases involving military personnel.

    In the past, the ability of military personnel to focus on their duties often was being weakened because of immigration problems that undocumented relatives faced back home.

    Stock cited the case of an undocumented woman from Bullhead City, Ariz., that drew media attention in 2012. A sheriff's deputy stopped the woman in northern Arizona for making an illegal turn and turned her over to immigration authorities for possible deportation. She was later released after immigration authorities determined she was married to a U.S. Army soldier on active duty in Germany.

    Stock said she personally has handled dozens of cases involving U.S. military personnel trying to legalize the status of parents, spouses and children.

    Daunting process

    Immigrants who want to receive green cards through petitions filed by U.S. citizen relatives are required to go back to their home country first if they entered the country illegally.

    But in what Stock called a Catch-22, those who returned home faced being barred from coming back to the U.S. for up to 10 years. Even applying for waivers to avoid the 10-year ban could take many months.

    If he were to get legal status or citizenship, I could perform my (military) duty to the best of my ability instead of having to worry about him.
    — Gabriel Zermeno, Phoenix

    As a result, many military personnel with undocumented family members were forced to devote large amounts of time and resources trying to legalize relatives, which took away from their military duties, Stock said.

    Some military personnel became so daunted with the lengthy process and the possibility of a long separation that they simply didn't apply to legalize family members, leaving their undocumented relatives vulnerable to deportation, Stock said.

    Now, undocumented relatives of military personnel will be able to apply for parole to remain in the country legally, opening the door to seek permanent residency, known as green cards.

    Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Christensen, a Department of Defense spokesman, praised the policy, saying clarifications from the Department of Homeland Security will support the family members of people serving in the armed forces, as well as those who have served.

    But the new Homeland Security policy could conflict with policies some branches of the military established that bar people from enlisting if they are married to immigrants without legal status. Those policies are based on administrative and security concerns that prevent immigrant dependents of military personnel from obtaining military ID cards if they lack legal status to be in the U.S., he said.

    Those policies say "that uniformed service members, family members, or other eligible individuals are required to provide identity documentation in order to be eligible to obtain an ID card," he said.

    The Marines and Navy have such policies. The Air Force does not. The Army did not respond to requests for comment.

    Informal policy

    In 2010, former Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano began an informal policy granting so called "parole-in-place" to undocumented parents, spouses, and children of active-duty military personnel.

    But the informal policy was not being followed consistently in immigration field offices across the country.

    As a result, many military personnel who applied for immigration parole for their undocumented parents, spouses and children still were having their cases denied even though they qualified, Stock said.

    The new policy issued in a memorandum from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is intended to "reduce the uncertainty" that active-duty and retired military personnel face because of the immigration status of their family members, said Peter Boogaard, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
    The policy also will ensure "consistent application" of existing policies, he said. The policy applies to immediate family members of active-duty military personnel, as well as reservists, including the National Guard, and veterans.

    "Parole-in-place is granted on a discretionary, case-by-case basis, for urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit reasons," Boogaard said.

    Threat of deportation

    Only legal permanent residents and U.S. citizens can join the military.

    Gabriel Zermeño is the only U.S. citizen in his family. He joined the Arizona Army National Guard after graduating from Apollo High School in Glendale, Ariz. He has trained as a heavy-equipment mechanic at Fort Benning, Ga., and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

    Gabriel Zermeño also is preparing to become an officer in the Army through the ROTC program at Arizona State University, where he is studying political science.
    Meanwhile, his father, José Zermeño, has been facing deportation after he tried applying for legal status and was denied on a technicality, according to his lawyer, Gerald Burns. A judge administratively closed his case in September but the case could be reopened in the future, Burns said.

    José Zermeño raised Gabriel, along with his two older sisters and brother, as a single father.

    In June, José Zermeño applied for parole to remain in the U.S. legally, citing his son's service in the armed forces.

    But at the time, it was unclear if undocumented parents of military personnel qualified for parole. The new written policy specifically spells out that they do, increasing José Zermeño's chances that he will be approved, Burns said.

    Gabriel Zermeño's sisters and brother all were born in Mexico and like his father are in the country illegally. Siblings of military personnel do not qualify for parole under the new policy. But Gabriel Zermeño's siblings already have received protection from deportation under Obama's deferred-action program, which allows young undocumented immigrants to live and work temporarily in this country.

    José Zermeño should learn within the next month or two whether he has been approved for parole, Burns said. The only possible snag could be a misdemeanor DUI that José Zermeño received in the late 1990s, Burns said.

    For Gabriel Zermeño, knowing his father has legal status would provide some peace of mind.

    "If he were to get legal status or citizenship," the son said. "I could perform my (military) duty to the best of my ability instead of having to worry about him."

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...olicy/3799627/
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  2. #2
    Senior Member HAPPY2BME's Avatar
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    "This has been causing a lot of problems for the military," said Margaret Stock, an immigration lawyer in Alaska and retired military-police lieutenant colonel. She specializes in immigration cases involving military personnel.
    ----------------------------------------------

    Now the military will not only be the supreme frankenstein laboratory for lesbians and homosexuals, but also for granting amnesty to tens of thousands of illegal aliens whose relatives just happen to be legally enlisted in the US Armed Forces - ALL IN THE NAME OF MILITARY READINESS!

    What a giant load of shit!
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  3. #3
    Senior Member HAPPY2BME's Avatar
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    Feds to halt deportations of military relatives

    Alan Gomez, USA TODAY 5:45 p.m. EST November 15, 2013

    WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday that it will halt the deportations of relatives of U.S. military members, arguing that it puts an unnecessary "stress and anxiety" on troops that are protecting the nation.

    Relatives who have extensive criminal records or pose other risks to the country can still be deported. But those with clean criminal records can be placed on a "parole in place" that stops their deportation and allows them to apply for permanent legal status while remaining in the U.S.

    "This is a complete surprise," said Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org, a veterans group that has advocated for the change for years. "You have a huge percentage of the force that wasn't born in the United States...and the people they love most can be kicked out of the country. That's been something a lot of them have worried about."

    In 2010, then-Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sent a letter to members of Congress concerned about the deportation of servicemembers' families, explaining that in some cases, they could be granted the "parole in place" designation. But that was something that few immigration lawyers, and even fewer members of the military, had heard about.

    "Unless you knew about the letter, you didn't know about this," said Margaret Stock, an immigration attorney and former lieutenant colonel in the Military Police Corps. "I've dealt with dozens and dozens of these cases. So this is wonderful."

    Under current law, undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. are allowed to apply for legal permanent residence, better known by the green card that such a designation comes with. But U.S. law requires that they first return to their country of origin to apply for the change. If they have been illegally in the U.S. for less than a year, they would have to return to their home country for three years before returning. Undocumented immigrants who stayed in the U.S. over a year had to return home for 10 years before returning.

    With the new memo issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday, spouses, children and parents of active-duty military members, reservists who may be called up as part of the "Ready Force," and other veterans can have their deportations halted and can apply for their green cards without leaving the country.

    Homeland Security spokesman Peter Boogaard said the cases would still be decided on a case-by-case basis, but said the memorandum formalizes the process to reduce the stress on the nation's military force.

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...mbers/3585577/
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  4. #4
    Senior Member HAPPY2BME's Avatar
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    Meanwhile, Obama's historical purging of the military of record numbers of senior officers and the lowest morale in our military history ..

    WND EXCLUSIVE U.S. war readiness in jeopardy as pilots flee

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