There are essentially three major categories of entry into the U.S.: family-based, business-related, and humanitarian-based. These categories have their own subcategories and respective visas and permits. All of which require filling out complicated applications and submitting tons of paperwork. 

“Our immigration system is very broad and very flawed, unfortunately. We do hear that rhetoric [the myth of easy entry] a lot, specifically also from members of our community who don’t quite understand how one is able to obtain citizenship in this country and how one is able to seek asylum or seek some other type of visa,” explained Denisse Molina, the humanitarian outreach coordinator for Beyond Borders Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project. 

Molina’s insights underscore a critical point: each immigration case can be extremely complex, and fitting into one category does not guarantee easy entry into the country. Even for those with family ties in the U.S., the path to legal entry is anything but straightforward. Family-based immigration requires a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to petition for their relative, a process which involves extensive documentation and can take years or even decades! The process can also be inaccessible due to expensive filing fees. Depending on the specific situation, it can cost up to $3,000. 

“That’s kind of the misleading part. That folks think that you just go to an office or that you just send a paper and that somehow that’s going to lead to citizenship, but that simply does not exist,” said Molina.