The immigration question is not as simple as it is described

The immigration system is complex, with many federal agencies and regulations involved.

That was the overall message of immigration attorney Ver Yang at a Luther College lecture on Wednesday evening.  She spelled out all of the programs and hearings that are involved when someone wants to become a U.S. citizen.

Yang says there are current 98,571 immigrants living in Iowa.  They come from countries like China and India and the Philippines, in addition to Mexico and Central America.  Yang herself came to Decorah 36 years ago, born in Thailand of parents who came from Laos.

Each year more people apply for immigrant visas than are available, she says.  That means the legal process is difficult and complicated.  For instance, visas and visa applications can be revoked for what is called "moral turpitude"--a phrase that is only loosely defined and can include misdemeanor convictions as well as felony convictions--even something like failing to file a tax return or failure to apear at a court hearing.

Vang calls it "a very harsh law."

Yer L. Vang is an immigration attorney with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Dubuque.  Attorney Vang is a 2001 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School.  She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but spent two years prior at Luther College. 
 
Upon graduating from law school, Attorney Vang became the lead immigration attorney for the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV) and the Immigrant Project of Wisconsin.  Prior to her current law practice, Attorney Vang served under Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's cabinet as the Executive Assistant with the Wisconsin Office of State Employment Relations