The system is broken. Immigration reform is slated for later this year or early next year. USCIS is modernizing to streamline the process of legal immigration.

In the meantime, the Obama Administration has deferred the widow penalty for two years, meaning that over 200 people at risk of deportation after their U.S. citizen spouses had passed away can breathe a little easier. But it isn’t a complete suspension of the program.

In other news, the Attorney General reversed a Bush Administration order last week that limited the ability of immigrants facing deportation to raise claims about lawyer incompetency. That’s certainly a move back towards restoring due process rights for all people in this country.

While we are at it, the White House also needs to look into the matter of ‘aging out’ and the Attorney General MUST get rid of stupid BIA decisions like Matter of Wang, which only serves to separate families.

Otherwise, we have heard it all before. We want some real tangible solutions for families, friends and ourselves.

We’ll get back to you on the necessary ‘heavy-lifting’ soon.