Cynthia Exner, a Danbury immigration attorney, wants federal immigration reform now being debated in Congress to include legal status for people trying to become legal immigrants.
Exner, who has practiced law since 1980, said that simple step, giving legal immigrants status in the country would solve serious problems. Exner said people are deported, separating them from their children, or they are left struggling with immigration laws for more than 10 years.
"It's a terrible situation," Exner said. "If they had legal status, they could get driver's licenses and employment cards."
Exner said one specific immigrant problem involves a person who is the brother or sister of a United States citizen. If that person is from Mexico or China or the Philippines, federal immigration officials won't look at that immigration application for years. The agencies are decades behind on that paperwork.
The backlog is published every month, and as of May 2013, the backlog for Mexican applicants dates back to 1980. That means for a person who files an immigration application today, federal immigration authorities first have to clear a 33 year backlog.
"The application fee alone costs about $2,070," Exner said. "I have people who are ready to go, but we're not filing the application. I have a case I filed 10 years ago. It's behind a 24-year backlog."
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