Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
GUEST COLUMN<br />
Beyond the Green Card:<br />
Naturalization<br />
Many Chaldeans immigrate<br />
to the United<br />
States and aspire<br />
to obtain a green card for<br />
themselves and their families;<br />
however, sometimes they forget<br />
or neglect to apply for U.S.<br />
citizenship once they qualify.<br />
This could be a huge mistake.<br />
Traditionally, it has been<br />
rather difficult for the U.S.<br />
government to take away a<br />
green card, but more recent<br />
Acts of Congress have made it<br />
easier for them to do so.<br />
There are several ways in which a<br />
green card holder could lose status.<br />
One is in the case of a criminal conviction.<br />
Many peaceful people assume<br />
that because they are not violent, this<br />
will never happen to them; however,<br />
the law has expanded the scope of offenses<br />
for which a green card holder<br />
could be deported. Crimes where a<br />
U.S. citizen might not spend a single<br />
day in jail could be the kind of crime<br />
that flags a case for deportation. Two<br />
convictions of offenses of a certain nature<br />
(called crimes of moral turpitude)<br />
could cause deportation, even if each<br />
is relatively minor, like shoplifting.<br />
There are other bases for depriving<br />
someone of their green card. If someone<br />
lives outside the U.S. for an extended<br />
period of time, they could lose their<br />
green card. Imagine if a family comes to<br />
the U.S. but the parents neglect to seek<br />
naturalization. The kids could one day<br />
be employed in a position that requires<br />
a transfer to a foreign country, and suddenly<br />
it becomes a situation where after<br />
N. PETER<br />
ANTONE<br />
SPECIAL<br />
TO THE<br />
CHALDEAN<br />
NEWS<br />
a few years of living abroad,<br />
the successful son or daughter<br />
finds themselves potentially<br />
subject to the loss of<br />
their green card.<br />
Another way to lose status<br />
is misrepresentation in<br />
the application for a green<br />
card, even if unintentional<br />
or discovered years later.<br />
The law is written in such a<br />
way that there are numerous<br />
ways to get someone in<br />
trouble if government officials<br />
decide to be strict or unfair. For<br />
example, failure to report to the USCIS<br />
immigration service the change of address<br />
of someone holding a green card<br />
could theoretically result in their removal<br />
and deportation. And while this<br />
might never happen, the law is written<br />
in a way that if a government official<br />
decides to be strict, they could cause<br />
a lot of headaches and expenses to the<br />
targeted green card holder, even if the<br />
ultimate result is not a removal.<br />
Legal action where the government<br />
tries to deport someone could take many<br />
years and result in tens of thousands of<br />
dollars in legal fees as well as tremendous<br />
stress and agony for those involved<br />
during the duration of the legal matter.<br />
Even if the immigrant ultimately wins,<br />
it would not be without huge expense,<br />
both physical and mental. Therefore,<br />
the safest course of action is for families<br />
who immigrate to seek naturalization<br />
and U.S. citizenship for themselves<br />
and their families once they<br />
become eligible.<br />
It’s all about the follow-through!<br />
Cavities are contagious! The germs that cause<br />
them can pass from parents to children by<br />
sharing spoons, cups, or straws. Help prevent<br />
cavities with regular visits to your dentist.<br />
Delta Dental of Michigan<br />
<strong>JUNE</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 9
Change language