Samson Okechukwu (not his real name), a Nigerian immigrant based in New York City, was overjoyed when the Democrats swept both Houses of Congress in November’s elections.

For Okechukwu, whose tourist visa expired 10 years ago, he hopes that the Democrats will eventually pass an amnesty for him and other undocumented immigrants. Such an amnesty, he said, will provide him a new opportunity to use his master’s degree in nursing and secure a well-paying job in a decent hospital. For now, without legal work documents, he could only take odd jobs, ranging from being a security guard to a cab driver.

For Abdullahi Sule (not his real name), a Guinean undocumented immigrant based in Harlem, his American dream has turned into a daily nightmare since he arrived in the United States in 1995. Having an illegal immigration status, he said, is a fate that he would not wish for anyone. Since his “marriage for convenience” with an African-American woman unraveled before an immigration adjudication officer in 1995 and he was placed on deportation proceedings, Sule, a bilingual teacher with a bachelor's degree, has resorted to living in the shadows of the American life.

"The lady tricked me! She collected $5,000 to marry me for the papers, only to find out from an immigration officer that she was also married to another Senegalese immigrant in Harlem. How am I supposed to know this?" Sule lamented.

These are just a tip of an iceberg of the hurdles that many African undocumented immigrants face. For them, amnesty is not an abstract concept but a glimmer of hope that many of them pray will soon become a reality.

Said, an African immigrant in Philadelphia who refused to give his country of origin, said: "When I watch Lou Dobbs show on CNN and [he] describes undocumented immigrants as enemies of the American society, it amazes me at the disconnection between the talking heads on television and the reality of my life as an undocumented immigrant. I work as a certified nursing aide, even though I have a degree in English. My agency usually sends me to the toughest neighborhood in Philadelphia to attend to the elderly. Most of my colleagues usually refuse such assignment, but I do it because that is my only option.

How can some idiots say every night on television that I am an enemy of America, just because they are looking for cheap ratings on the airwaves? I have contributed to this country and deserve to be rewarded with an amnesty. Period."

African Abroad-USA notes that immigration problems in the United States divide families across oceans, affecting even the children who were born in this country. The paper covered many stories of African immigrants who have not seen their wives or husbands after they left Africa 10 years ago; of children of African immigrants whose parents are not able to give them the maximum benefit of American life; of crooked businesses that exploit African immigrants by paying them low wages; and of African immigrants in detention centers awaiting decisions on their asylum cases.

When the Democrats made a victory in Congress, many hoped that there could be a general amnesty for undocumented immigrants. But this hope has been undermined by immigration raids on undocumented workers in many states, especially in California, Texas, Georgia, New York and Maryland.

Despite the Republicans’ anti-immigrant measures, as well as harsh comments against immigrants that CNN and Fox News would air regularly, many African immigrants are hopeful that a general amnesty will be passed this year. Some even speculate that the amnesty may be limited to those who have been in the United States for 10 years and more, but others want a general amnesty for all with a road map to U.S. citizenship.

There are already two immigration reform bills that are pending in Congress. Despite the split between Democrats and Republicans, the hope is high that an amnesty will soon to happen. After all, the immigrants are those who take the jobs that U.S.-born citizens do not want to take. The jobs will always be there; it is up to immigrants to be in the country to do these jobs.