JACL Supports the Reintroduction of the Reuniting Families Act 2025
December XX, 2025
For Immediate Release
Matthew Weisbly, Education Programs Manager, mweisbly@jacl.org
Seia Watanabe, VP of Public Affairs, swatanabe@jacl.org
Last week, Representative Chu and Senator Hirono reintroduced the Reuniting Families Act of 2025 (H.R. 6565/S.3419) in the 119th Congress. The JACL has historically supported this legislation, and we proudly stand with the over 50 other organizations that have endorsed the Reuniting Families Act in 2025.
The Reuniting Families Act (RFA) provides crucial updates and reforms to the family-based immigration system, which remains hindered by long waitlists, lost visa numbers, and arbitrary per-country limits. As a result, it can take over a decade to reunite families under the current regulations. These issues have been apparent for decades, but there has still been no meaningful reform.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services visa bulletin, in December of 2025, the State Department is currently processing applications submitted nearly 25 years ago in the Spring of 2001 for applicants from Mexico seeking family-sponsored visas. Preventing families from reuniting for decades due to outdated immigration laws and regulations clearly demonstrates the urgent need for reform.
If passed, the RFA will:
Recapture visa numbers lost due to bureaucratic delays
Eliminate caps on the number of spouses, permanent partners, and minor children of green card holders allowed to access family-based immigration visas
Reform the per-country limits on family-based immigration
Allow greater access to immigrants seeking to navigate our immigration system
Create new exemptions to facilitate access for the children of WWII Veterans in the Philippines
Correct an error that causes children of visa holders to age out of the program
Make it easier to access the cancellation of removal
Reduce discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ families within the family-based immigration system
JACL commends Representative Chu and Senator Hirono for their efforts to reform a critical part of our outdated immigration system with this meaningful legislation. The JACL calls on Congress to pass this legislation to ensure that family reunification for immigrants is not unjustly hindered by inefficient and often arbitrary bureaucratic processes.
A link to the full bill text for the House version can be found here, and for the Senate version here.
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The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.
