Rare but fair? Rep. John Conyers writes bill for Southgate mother facing deportation as debate over immigration reform continues

It is called a private bill.

Rare but fair? Rep. John Conyers writes bill for Southgate mother facing deportation as debate over immigration reform continues

As the national debate over immigration reform continues, U.S. Rep. John Conyers this month introduced a rare piece of legislation intended to save a single individual -- a Southgate mother caring for a child with cerebral palsy -- from deportation.


House Bill 6499, "For the relief of Celina Hernandez," did not see a vote and was referred to a subcommittee, but it caught the attention of immigration officials, who last week granted Hernandez a one-year extension to stay in the United States.

Hernandez illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico more than 20 years ago along with her husband and an infant son, seeking quality health care after she lost a child in a premature delivery.  While working and paying taxes here, she gave birth to twin boys, both citizens, one of which has cerebral palsy and requires special care.  Officials deported her husband last year, and she faced a similar fate until Conyers intervened.

"I don't know what I'll do without my mom in the United States," Hector Hernandez, her healthy 21-year-old son who may also face deportation, told Fox 2 earlier this month.  "She really always gives me good advice, my dad also. I really miss my dad. I wish he was here."

Supporters say Conyer's private bill highlights the need for comprehensive immigration reform, arguing the need for legislation that recognizes the unique needs of children born to immigrants in the U.S.  In Hernandez' case and others like it, they say, a sick child should not be separated from his parents.

But as The Detroit News points out, critics believe Conyer's private bill -- his first since 1987 -- is unfair.

Dec. 27, DetNews.com: William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration, said bills written for individuals are "political propaganda" designed to influence the debate about immigration.

"It's anti-American. In America, the rule of law says we are all treated equally," said Gheen, whose Raleigh, N.C.-based group is fighting amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"For Congress to selectively make a case for someone gives the appearance that some people have special friends in Congress and can have laws changed for them specifically."

Conyers, however, has said little about the legislation, telling the News such private bills have been used throughout the nation's history "when an exception to existing law is absolutely necessary to avoid grave injustice or suffering."

The U.S. deported a record number of illegal immigrants -- 392,862 -- during the 2010 fiscal year, according to figures released in October by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. CBS News reported the ongoing deportation effort is part of President Obama's goal "to make our national laws actually work" and to entice Republicans to support comprehensive immigration reform.

The lame-duck Senate earlier this month defeated the DREAM ACT, a specifically-tailored bill which would have created a path toward citizenship for undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before they were 16, but Obama said he will renew his push for comprehensive immigration reform in 2011.

The White House released a statement last week following Obama's meeting with Congressional Hispanic Caucus members, explaining that the president "further reiterated his commitment to comprehensive immigration reform, pointing out that we can no longer perpetuate a broken immigration system that is not working for our country or our economy."