US Migration Program to Reunify Some Minors with Family
2021-06-24
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security recently announced the expansion of a program to help some minors from Central America legally enter the U.S.
2The Central American Minors (CAM) program permits immigrant parents or legal guardians in the United States to seek their children's resettlement in the U.S.
3The Biden administration restarted the program in March after a four-year break.
4Officials say expansion of the Central American Minors program could make up to 100,000 people eligible to come to the U.S.
5Some minors can be given permission to travel to the country if they are sponsored by a parent or guardian already living legally in the U.S.
6To be eligible for CAM, the applicant must be unmarried, under 21 and a citizen of El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras.
7No money is required to apply.
8Eligible minors must also complete a security investigation before being brought to the United States.
9Miriam Abaya is senior director for immigration and children's rights at First Focus on Children.
10The group works to support the needs of children and families in federal policy and budget decisions.
11Abaya says the CAM program involves a multi-step process.
12The first step involves the parent completing an application through the refugee resettlement process.
13Next, there is a process to confirm the child's relationship with the applicant.
14Then, officials speak with the child to decide whether or not the child is eligible for refugee status or for "parole" in the U.S.
15Being "paroled" is a temporary status that permits a migrant to enter the country but without a path to permanent residency, also known as a green card.
16By comparison, entering as a refugee can lead to permanent status.
17"If you get refugee status, once you arrive in the U.S., you have lawful status so you can adjust to get a green card," Abaya said.
18She noted that eligibility for refugee status is "very specific" and that many CAM applicants may not be eligible.
19"If you get paroled [into the country], then you don't necessarily have [permanent] status in the U.S., but you're permitted to be in the country for a temporary period of time," she said.
20Immigration experts say the program was slow to process applicants from the start.
21The first minors began arriving in the U.S. in November 2015.
22That was almost a year after CAM's creation under the administration of former President Barack Obama.
23By the end of 2016, more than 10,500 applications were waiting to be processed.
24That information comes from a report by the Niskanen Center, a public policy research group in Washington, D.C.
25The U.S. resettled 3,000 minors before stopping the program in 2017 and cancelling the acceptance of 2,700 children who had not yet entered the U.S.
26During the Obama administration, parents who had received aid were permitted to apply for their children.
27Under the Biden administration's relaunching of the program, a parent or legal guardian in the U.S. who has an undecided asylum or a "U" visa legal case can also file an application.
28U visas are for victims of some crimes who have assisted U.S. law enforcement investigations.
29Critics of the program note that it is unlikely to greatly reduce the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without permission.
30Chuck Grassley is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
31He said in a statement, "I'm worried that this effort is going to be somehow passed off as an effort to address the number of migrants at the southern border when it does nothing to stem the flow or address the crisis created by this administration."
32Immigrant supporters have welcomed the restart of the CAM program.
33However, they note that eligibility does not cover the full number of family members who may wish to apply to bring a minor to the U.S.
34Miriam Abaya said, "It's not just parents and legal guardians that care for children. There are aunts, there's a grandparent who is in the United States, and those family members don't have any way to apply."
35I'm Jonathan Evans.
1The U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security recently announced the expansion of a program to help some minors from Central America legally enter the U.S. 2The Central American Minors (CAM) program permits immigrant parents or legal guardians in the United States to seek their children's resettlement in the U.S. The Biden administration restarted the program in March after a four-year break. 3Officials say expansion of the Central American Minors program could make up to 100,000 people eligible to come to the U.S. 4How does the program work? 5Some minors can be given permission to travel to the country if they are sponsored by a parent or guardian already living legally in the U.S. To be eligible for CAM, the applicant must be unmarried, under 21 and a citizen of El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras. No money is required to apply. Eligible minors must also complete a security investigation before being brought to the United States. 6Miriam Abaya is senior director for immigration and children's rights at First Focus on Children. The group works to support the needs of children and families in federal policy and budget decisions. Abaya says the CAM program involves a multi-step process. 7The first step involves the parent completing an application through the refugee resettlement process. Next, there is a process to confirm the child's relationship with the applicant. Then, officials speak with the child to decide whether or not the child is eligible for refugee status or for "parole" in the U.S. 8What is the difference between refugee status and being paroled in the U.S.? 9Being "paroled" is a temporary status that permits a migrant to enter the country but without a path to permanent residency, also known as a green card. By comparison, entering as a refugee can lead to permanent status. 10"If you get refugee status, once you arrive in the U.S., you have lawful status so you can adjust to get a green card," Abaya said. She noted that eligibility for refugee status is "very specific" and that many CAM applicants may not be eligible. 11"If you get paroled [into the country], then you don't necessarily have [permanent] status in the U.S., but you're permitted to be in the country for a temporary period of time," she said. 12What effect has the program had since it began in 2014? 13Immigration experts say the program was slow to process applicants from the start. The first minors began arriving in the U.S. in November 2015. That was almost a year after CAM's creation under the administration of former President Barack Obama. 14By the end of 2016, more than 10,500 applications were waiting to be processed. That information comes from a report by the Niskanen Center, a public policy research group in Washington, D.C. The U.S. resettled 3,000 minors before stopping the program in 2017 and cancelling the acceptance of 2,700 children who had not yet entered the U.S. 15During the Obama administration, parents who had received aid were permitted to apply for their children. 16Under the Biden administration's relaunching of the program, a parent or legal guardian in the U.S. who has an undecided asylum or a "U" visa legal case can also file an application. U visas are for victims of some crimes who have assisted U.S. law enforcement investigations. 17What has been the reaction to the program's relaunch? 18Critics of the program note that it is unlikely to greatly reduce the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without permission. 19Chuck Grassley is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said in a statement, "I'm worried that this effort is going to be somehow passed off as an effort to address the number of migrants at the southern border when it does nothing to stem the flow or address the crisis created by this administration." 20Immigrant supporters have welcomed the restart of the CAM program. However, they note that eligibility does not cover the full number of family members who may wish to apply to bring a minor to the U.S. 21Miriam Abaya said, "It's not just parents and legal guardians that care for children. There are aunts, there's a grandparent who is in the United States, and those family members don't have any way to apply." 22I'm Jonathan Evans. 23Aline Barros reported on this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 24_________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26eligible - adj. qualified to take part in a program or activity 27sponsor - v. to take responsibility and give financial support to another person 28application - n. a formal and usually written request for something 29adjust - v. to change something slightly so that it works or fits better 30unaccompanied - adj. not having anyone with you when you go somewhere 31stem - v. to stop something from continuing or increasing