Rep. Chu, Sen. Hirono Reintroduce Bill to Reunite and Protect Immigrant Families
- Contact
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep Judy Chu (CA-28), Senator Mazie Hirono (HI) reintroduced the Reuniting Families Act of 2025. This legislation would strengthen protections for immigrant families and address long-standing problems in a family immigration system that hasn’t seen meaningful reform in more than three decades.
Today, nearly four million people with approved visa applications remain trapped in a massive immigration backlog, with many waiting more than a decade to reunite with their loved ones. This crisis is the direct result of an outdated system that has not seen meaningful reform for more than thirty years. The Reuniting Families Act tackles these delays by recapturing unused visas, rolling them into future years, expanding who qualifies as a family member to include permanent partners, and increasing both the total number of available family preference visas and per-country limits.
The individuals stuck in these backlogs have approved applications and are ready to contribute to our communities and strengthen the American economy. No one, regardless of where they come from, should be forced to wait decades to reunite with family or begin building a life in the United States. We need a system that is safer, more efficient, and better equipped to uphold both America’s security and its commitment to humanity.
This bill tackles several major challenges within the immigration system. Among the key improvements are:
- More than double number of available family preference visas
- Raise existing per-country yearly visa limits, so the wait is not so long for countries with high levels of migration
- Set an absolute time limit on visa processing, so no applicant has to wait more than 10 years for a visa if they have an approved application
"Family-based immigration makes our country stronger. But our broken immigration system is preventing individuals from reuniting with their loved ones and contributing to our communities and economies. With over four million individuals with approved visa applications stuck in limbo through no fault of their own, families are needlessly suffering,” said Rep. Chu. “That’s why I am proud to reintroduce the commonsense Reuniting Families Act of 2025 with Senator Hirono to ensure that no one should have to wait years, sometimes decades, to reunite with a loved one and to ensure our family-based immigration system works more efficiently and humanely.”
“Immigrant families currently experience unnecessary obstacles and delays due to our country’s broken immigration system, keeping families separated for potentially long periods of time,” said Senator Hirono. “By reducing family-based immigration backlogs and making common sense updates to how we treat families, the Reuniting Families Act will help take the first step in the right direction to keeping families together as they navigate our immigration system.”
“Asian Americans Advancing Justice is proud to support Rep. Judy Chu’s reintroduction of the Reuniting Families Act (RFA), which will make it easier for immigrant families to reunite through a family-based immigration system. Family-based immigration has been the cornerstone of the United States for decades, laying the foundation for immigrant communities, including Asian Americans, to settle down and contribute to our nation’s vibrant social and economic fabric,” said Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a network of four independent Asian American civil rights organizations. “However, our immigration system has broken down without a fix for over thirty years, keeping families separated with millions of people stuck in backlogs abroad. Families have the right to be together and should not have to spend decades apart. This bill is a beacon of hope to make our immigration system more humane, and it is a meaningful step toward bringing loved ones back together.”
"Fifty years ago, millions of Southeast Asian families were forced to flee war and genocide in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, separated from their loved ones in order to survive. Today, our backlogged family immigration system continues to keep Southeast Asian American families apart, and that backlog has only continued to grow for our communities as this Administration prevents immigration from Laos,” said Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC). “The Reuniting Families Act (RFA) restores compassion to our immigration system by preventing families from waiting decades to reunite and expanding relief for those facing deportation. As families across the country continue to be torn apart by this administration’s cruel immigration enforcement policies, we applaud Rep. Judy Chu for her leadership and commitment to keeping families whole. SEARAC is committed to working alongside Rep. Chu and our partners to ensure all families have the opportunity to reunite with their loved ones and heal.”
"In a time when immigrant families are facing unprecedented levels of cruelty and family separation, we urgently need legislation like the Reuniting Families Act (RFA) to reform our inefficient and inhumane immigration system," said Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). "For decades, we have endured the repercussions of this broken immigration system, which includes a significant backlog of family visas. CHIRLA welcomes the RFA, as it recognizes that family unity lies at the core of our immigration system and that immigrants are human beings who contribute to and strengthen our nation."
"The Reuniting Families Act (RFA) directly addresses the needs of our communities by ensuring that family members are not subjected to extensive and often distressing visa processing delays,” said Nils Kinuani, Federal Policy Manager of African Communities Together (ACT). “By streamlining the family-based immigration system, this bill facilitates the quicker reunification of families, which is vital for both the individuals involved and the broader community."
The bill is endorsed by American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers, Church World Service, Coalition on Human Needs, COOLJC Region 8 SJEREC, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), Franciscan Action Network, Global Refuge, Japanese American Citizens League, Mennonite Central Committee U.S., National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), National Council of Jewish Women, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Tongan American Society, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Refugee Council USA, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Stop AAPI Hate, Union for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, Woodhull Freedom Foundation, Regional/State/Local Groups, AAPI Equity Alliance, ACLU People Power Fairfax, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, Ayuda, BISN, BRIJ PEACE EMPOWERERS, Caribbean Equality Project (CEP), Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, Equality California, HANA Center, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Just Neighbors, Khmer Maine, Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, Mountain State Justice, Ohio Immigrant Coalition, OPAWL - Building AAPI Feminist Leadership, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, R320 Design, Reconciling & Social Justice Team 1st United Methodist Church Sacramento, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), SWMI Indivisible, Transformations CDC, WADEIn New Jersey
To see a 1-pager of the bill click here.
To see the bill click here.
Click here for a section-by-section of the bill.
Click here for a brief video statement from Rep. Chu on the bill.
###