For years, Americans who wished to bring Cuban family members to the United States had very little options. While the United States is supposed to issue 20,000 immigration visas to Cubans each year, this is still a limited number. Moreover, the Cuban government must also allow Cubans who have been given immigration visas the ability to leave. On July 17, however, individuals in Mercer County with relatives in Cuba may be able to see their family members much more quickly.
Officials arrest employers accused of abusing immigrants
One of the fears that many immigrants have in the United States, whether they have the legal permission to remain here or not, is that they will be taken advantage of. For the most part, those fears are unfounded in East Windsor, but, on occassion, there are stories of American citizens infringing on immigrants' rights or outright abusing them. In a recent story of widespread abuse, nine people were arrested for their alleged involvement in a "modern-day plantation system."
Will the Supreme Court ease binational same-sex couples' worries?
There are numerous same-sex couples in New Jersey who are actively watching the Supreme Court and are awaiting a decision one way or the other on whether the federal Defense of Marriage Act is constitutional. For the same-sex couples in New Jersey who have hopped the border and gotten married, a court decision striking down the federal law would mean that their marriages are recognized by the federal government. For binational same-sex couples, however, this is especially important.
What is the fate of immigration reform?
Newark residents are waiting and watching to see what will happen with immigration reform, yet it appears that there will be more of battle for reform in the House of Representatives than there has been in the Senate. After the House's recent decision to prohibit funding for the Department of Homeland Security to utilize discretion in deportation proceedings, necessary funding to continue President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, it is unclear how the Senate's eventual immigration bill will fare in the House.
