Your Opinion: Immigration reform needed

Dear Editor:

I do believe in immigration reform because the system that we have is broken and needs to be fixed. Immigration reform as the politicians of both parties like to use the words just means a way to gather votes from the Hispanic groups in America by granting the illegal immigrants amnesty.

I do believe strongly in people being able to immigrate legally into the United States. My family has benefited from having that ability.

When Homeland Security was given the task of adjudicating the petitions the only way to file that paperwork was to hire an attorney to properly try and gain access to the Unites States. This increased the cost and time delays that have become excessive.

In 1993 our family petitioned family members and spent many dollars in applications fees. They were approved and put on the waiting list for entry. In 2013 they received the letter that they could apply for their visas to enter. Now in their 60s one had died the other two decided that they were unwilling to leave their husbands for another five to seven years before they could petition their husbands to come to the U.S.

Time becomes precious to spend with your loved ones. If we are going to have immigration into this country shouldn't we want people who are physically capable of working instead of waiting 20-25 years for a petition to be approved so they can legally enter.

We still have family waiting and hopefully the system will allow them to enter the U.S. before they die or become so old that they cannot work when they get here. The system as implemented now is broken.

If we in the United States need the 12 million undocumented workers because 12 million unemployed American workers are unwilling to do those jobs why shouldn't Homeland Security speed up the process to fill those jobs with people who are willing to abide by our laws instead of making them wait 20 years.

Reform immigration to address those problems instead of trying to buy votes. Jeb Bush the act of love would be to speed up the process of legal immigration for those who have been waiting.