Letter: Asylum seekers want to work

The letter states, "We are offering free room and board to immigrants who show up at our border," and suggests they be put to work. This implies they are unwilling to work. Not so. In fact, U.S. law forces unreasonable waiting times before they can legally work.

Under present law, somebody filing for asylum must wait 150 days before seeking work authorization. This means asylum seekers must wait for months to start work - during which they and their families must depend on help from relatives, private donations and volunteers for food and shelter.

This makes no sense, if it ever did, at a time when unemployment is low and 10 million jobs are going unfilled. A new bill recently introduced in Congress would shorten the waiting period to 30 days. It deserves swift passage. Let willing asylum seekers go to work and start paying taxes.

Tom Chulski

Green Valley

Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.