IMMIGRATION: "The 'Green Card' Is Not Green"

From Chapter 12 of the best-selling book, THE IMMIGRATION PARADOX: 15 Tips for Winning Immigration Cases, by Attorney Charles Jerome Ware, former United States Immigration Judge.

The “Green Card” is not Green

Surprise! The “Green Card,” or United States Permanent Resident Card, is not green. Further, the Green Card has not been “green” for a very long time. Since its inception in or about 1947, the card has taken on a variety of different colors at different times in history. The “Green Card” actually started out in about 1940 as a white card.

We probably still refer to these Permanent Resident Cards as “Green Cards” for historical reference reasons. For example, in the field of law we refer to intended distractions as “red herrings;” dismissal from employment notices are called “pink slips;” excessively sensationalized news stories are called “yellow journalism;” and the phrase “firing” or “to fire” someone when their job is terminated comes from the inspired practice of burning down the house of neighbors when they were no longer wanted in the community [Attorney Charles Jerome Ware, Understanding The Law: A Primer, 2008, iUniverse Press (1-800-288-4677), www.iuniverse.com, www.amazon.com]. In each of the above-referenced examples, an idea was originally associated with an actual item of the respective or specific color.