About Us
Who We Are
We are a grass roots organization that represents American citizens and permanent residents in legitimate marriages who are or may be separated for long periods of time by US immigration law. We pursue both legislative and media strategies to safeguard a fair, timely and transparent family immigration process.
How We Do It
American Families United organizes meetings with legislators and raises funds for professional lobbying and public relations support. We work with some of the most respected immigration lobbyists on Capitol Hill, led by former Congressman Bruce Morrison, who was Chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee when he served.
What Sets Us Apart
We are focused. Our agenda is set by real families, not paid staff who are funded by grants from foundations. When you join American Families United, you can have faith that we will put a priority on the issues that are of most importance. Because we are living it, or have lived it, too.
We are practical, not ideological. The voices in immigration debate are so often dominated by groups -- on different sides -- that have an ideological agenda. Ideological groups often want to take a stand on the sake of principal. We want to get things done. This means we can talk to legislators on all sides of the isle.
Our agenda has the support of the American public. As Americans, we understand that the the vast majority of Americans support fair treatment for immigrants who are invited into this country through the legal immigration system, and we understand that that Americans value nuclear families.
We vote. We are the only immigration advocacy group that is made up of voters and soon to be voters. Our members know who our friends are and we remember them when we vote. There is no more important issue to us -- NONE -- that comes close being separated from your spouse or young children for obeying the law.
Our History
American Families United was incorporated as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization in October 2006 to give a voice to those who sponsor nuclear family members through the legal immigration system.
In 2007, we conducted two national lobby days where our members, directors, and our lobbyist joined in Washington D.C. to speak directly with Congress members, Senators and legislative staff.
In spring 2007, US Citizens for United Families, of Houston, Texas, merged with American Families United.
During the comprehensive immigration reform debate in the summer of 2007, we worked closely with Senator's Clinton, Menendez, and Hagel to introduce legislation that would eliminate a quota system on nuclear families of permanent residents.
In the winter of 2007 we formed the Secure Check Alliance and partnered with Legal Immigrant Association to address security check delays that needlessly put the nation at risk and result in lengthy family separations. We who worked closely with Congresswoman Clarke to get $20 million dollars into the 2008 federal budget to address the issue. Thousands of families have already been reunited as a result of this legislative victory.
In 2008 we launched the Reform the Rebate campaign, and are currently working to end the penalization of law abiding spouses in the economic stimulus package.
Primary Goals
Immediate permanent residency for spouses and children of green card holders. Permanent residents should not have to wait 5 years or more to be reunited with their spouses and children. We seek to eliminate this waiting period.
Supervisory review for processing delays. Our nation is best protected when security checks are carried out faster. We applaud Congress for taking up this issue in the 2008 federal budget, but we seek to have accountability in the system in addition to money.
Ensure that all US citizens can secure residency for their spouses. All US citizens should have the right to petition for their spouses and remain together in our country. Unfortunately, our current immigration laws do not protect citizens from being separated from their families. We are working to change these laws to keep all our families together.
Fiancée child status protection. When the step-children of an American citizen enters on a fiancée visa, he or she will be legally admitted up to the day before their 21st birthday, but then promptly deported if their case is not processed by the time they turn 21. We are working to "freeze" the age of children at the time they apply -- a principle widely adopted in other areas of immigration law through the Child Status Protection Act -- in order to correct this problem.
Board of Directors
Our 2008 board of directors follows:
David Guard - President (San Jose, California)
Brenda Friederich - Vice President (Campbell, California)
Nancy Kuznetsov - Secretary (Durham, North Carolina)
Randall Emery - Treasurer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
YuMei Li-Bachar (Lansing, Michigan)
Elizabeth Bandercan (Houston, Texas)
Julia Schafer (New York, New York)
Location
We are a nationwide organization comprised of local chapters across the United States. Our main office is located just outside Philadelphia and we can be contacted via mail at:
American Families United
P.O. Box 411
Ardmore, PA 19003