Accordingto new reports, Senator Mike Lee said that it came to his notice that "Someone from India entering the backlog todaywould have to wait 195 years to receive an EB-3 green card. Even if we givetheir children this limbo status, none of them will have a prayer of becoming aUS citizen. Green cards are critical in the lives of so many who are here ontemporary work visas. The backlog puts families at risk of losing theirimmigration status as they wait year after weary year to finally make itthrough this green card backlog. Our bipartisan agreement would add criticalprotections that were not in the original bill for immigrant workers and theirimmediate family members who are stuck in the backlog. They would be able toswitch jobs and travel without losing immigration status. And children ofimmigrant workers would be protected from aging out so they will not facedeportation. While we continue to debate the best way to fix the Green Cardbacklog, let's make sure that no children of the affected families are harmedor deported, just that simple. I offered a new bill, very simply stated, toprotect children of immigrant workers act. This brief three-page bill wouldensure that children do not age out while waiting for a Green Card. Imagine ifyou brought your children to the United States, worked on an H-1B visa and yourchildren are waiting for you for the Green Card, you are paying for them to goto college because they don't qualify as American Citizens for any type offederal financial aid. You're making great sacrifices for them and then the daycomes when they reach the age of 21 and they can be deported and your familydivided. Why would we want to let that happen?"
