Outreach Forum Answers Immigration Questions

Families came in hopes of quickly reuniting with relatives from overseas. Business investors wanted answers on how to obtain work visas for foreign employees. And a few bachelors inquired about how to bring over their fiancees from abroad.

An immigration forum, held Saturday at Santa Ana College, drew about 200 people, many whose primary concerns hinged on U.S. citizenship procedures, family sponsorships and changes in immigration laws.

The event--sponsored by Fullerton’s Western State University College of Law--was the first in a series of community outreach forums. Following seminars will discuss labor and housing laws.

“Our diversity outreach program aims to educate and inform people on how to live with respect and dignity,” said Louis Reinoso, Western State’s spokesman.

At Saturday’s forum, attendees inside the Phillips Hall auditorium jotted notes, collected literature and lined up to pose their questions to a panel of immigration attorneys--Enrique Arevalo, Tuyet Tina Pham and Rito Corrales.

In the wake of recent immigration reform, Arevalo addressed last Tuesday’s announcement that illegal immigrants with green card applications can eventually win legal residency only if they leave the country immediately and wait until their application is approved, a process that can take years.

“No one should leave the country,” said Arevalo, a South Pasadena attorney who also hosts a Spanish-language radio show on immigration. “There is time for people to continue to work on getting legal residency.”

Originally, the new law mandated that illegal immigrants leave the U.S. by Saturday. But on Friday, Arevalo said, the deadline was extended until Oct. 1.

For those petitioning to come to the U.S., he said, those people have a stronger chance if they are well-educated, have a guaranteed job in the U.S. and family support.

Pham, a Garden Grove attorney who specializes in family reunification programs, discussed the recent changes that now impose greater accountability on U.S. residents who petition to bring over relatives.

In the past, U.S. families signed affidavits, declaring they could support their relatives for the following three years. The affidavits were not legally binding, however, and immigrants who were abandoned by relatives ended up relying on welfare and other public benefits.

“This put a drain on our welfare system,” Pham said.

Now, U.S. sponsor families must sign a contract, pledging that they can support their immigrant relatives until they become U.S. citizens or have worked and paid taxes for 10 years.

“This contract is now legally enforceable,” Pham added.

Olga and David Tillman of Orange left the forum satisfied with the new immigration laws.

“Too many people are coming here to get on the dole,” said David Tillman. His wife, Olga, originally from the Ukraine, aims to sponsor her mother to the U.S.

But teacher Elaine Liu said many people come to the U.S. illegally in hopes of independently building a better future for their families. An English-language-development teacher at Artesia High School, Liu said she works with a number of illegal immigrant students, many who work hard to help support their parents and aim to go to college.

“I worry for these kids,” Liu said. “Their parents depend on them to do translations and get jobs at factories to help support the family. They are only minors and they need assistance. That’s why I’m here, to help them get information.”

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Immigrant Assistance

Local agencies and schools that offer citizenship classes and immigration assistance:

Abrazar Inc.

7101 Wyoming St.

Westminster, CA 92683

(714) 893-3581

Anaheim Independent Center

10841 Garza Ave.

Anaheim, CA 92804

(714) 826-9070

Cypress College

9200 Valley View St.

Cypress, CA 90630

(714) 995-2238

Centennial Education Center

2900 W. Edinger Ave.

Santa Ana, CA 92705

(714) 564-5042

Davis Adult School

1050 Arlington Drive

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 556-3430

Delhi Community Center

542 E. Central Ave.

Santa Ana, CA 92707

(714) 549-1317

International Rescue Committee

1801 W. 17th St.

Santa Ana, CA 92706

(714) 953-6912

Orange County Bar Assn.

17875 Von Karman Ave.

Irvine, CA 92623

(714) 440-6700

Los Angeles Bar Assn.

300 N. Los Angeles St., #3107

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 485-1872

Santa Ana Presbyterian Church

2014 S. Main St.

Santa Ana, CA 92705

(714) 556-6337

Vietnamese Community of O.C.

1618 W. 1st St.

Santa Ana, CA 92703

(714) 558-6009

World Relief

Refugee Resettlement

7461 Garden Grove Blvd., Suite B

Garden Grove, CA 92641

(714) 890-0665

Source: Western State University, College of Law