Immigration advocate Rachel Barber (left), immigration attorneys Chima Eke (center) and Scott Hicks held a panel discussion on immigration at the Center for Peace and Reconciliation in Lima on Tuesday.
Craig Kelly | Lima News
LIMA — With immigration becoming a key issue in the days and weeks leading up to November’s general elections, the Center for Peace and Reconciliation on Tuesday night offered a forum for both immigrants and natural-born residents to learn more about how to welcome immigrants. We held a panel discussion on immigration to help people understand. The current American immigration system in operation and how to navigate it.
Chima Eke, a Lima immigration attorney based in Lebanon, Ohio, and fellow immigration attorney Scott Hicks join Rachel Barber, director of the Lima Newcomer Coalition’s Community Connections subcommittee, to discuss how the immigration system itself was born. We discussed the work of immigrants, providing historical background. to the current state.
After the meeting, Hicks was encouraged by the interaction from the crowd of about 50 people.
“I think this shows a dedicated group of people who care about the system and care about the people who are directly involved and care about it, or care about the public,” he says. “How do we help? How do we understand what’s going on?”
Both attorneys approached the legal immigration and asylum process, providing first-hand accounts of the cases they have handled and the pitfalls they have faced. They also talked about some important terms that have been used frequently this election cycle, such as Temporary Protected Status, the legal basis for the influx of Haitian immigrants into the region.
“This is basically a temporary condition where the attorney general has to make a decision,” Hicks said. “Is there an ongoing armed conflict in the designated country that puts people at risk? Has there been any natural disaster, such as an earthquake, flood, drought, or other conditions that make it dangerous to be there? ?Can a country experiencing this disaster cope if people return? A third possible designation is that something unusual but temporary is happening and sending people back there. It’s not safe.”
Mr. Eke also outlined the differences between various means of legal status, such as visas and green cards.
“Visas can be issued to immigrants and nonimmigrants. Nonimmigrant visas would be for people coming to the United States for business or tourism,” he said. “You can’t work or seek benefits. There are many types of visas.”
Hicks added, “Your green card gives you permission to permanently reside in the country.”
Mr. Hicks also discussed the history of U.S. immigration policy, noting that many restrictions date back to the Quota Act of 1923, which created categories of people who could immigrate to this country, and those rules were extended from other parts of the world. He said it favored white Europeans over those who came.
“I think the biggest misconception is that people don’t understand that this is a highly regulated process built on laws that exclude large parts of the world,” he said. “So when people say, ‘I’m not against immigration, but I just want it to be legalized,’ they think they’re saying something reasonable and generous. What they don’t understand is that there is no way in our system for them to legally do what they think they do.”
For those who are here now, Barber has worked with many faith groups in the area to meet the needs of those in the Haitian community who are currently in the Lima area.
“There are so many churches involved across the board,” she said. “A lot of the work involves studying English. They can take classes several times a week, and then we hold conversation circles to help them practice.”
If you would like to help with these efforts, please contact the St. Rose and St. John Catholic Church office at 419-222-5521.
