Many
who entered the United States on valid visas but fell out of legal
status between 1982 and 1988 are eligible for the amnesty offered under
the 1986 immigration reform law.
For
two decades, Anaheim businessman Erkan Aydin has taken on a task
unimaginable for most immigrants like himself: trying to convince the
U.S. government that he was here illegally.
Aydin, 50, arrived in the United States from his native Turkey with a
valid student visa in 1981, but fell out of legal status when he failed
to enroll in school, he said.
The customer service representative has a powerful reason why he wants
to be considered an illegal immigrant. It would make him eligible for
the amnesty offered to 2.7 million illegal immigrants under the 1986
immigration reform law.
Thanks to a recent legal settlement, the chance to apply for amnesty is
finally open to Aydin and tens of thousands of others who entered the
country on a valid visa but fell out of legal status between 1982 and
1988. The settlement, approved this fall by a U.S. district court in
Washington state, stems from a class-action lawsuit filed by attorney
Peter Schey originally on behalf of an immigrant assistance program of
the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.