 Immigration breakthrough could pave way for citizenship
 Quote: WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States could be put on the path to citizenship under a new immigration bill agreed upon Thursday by a bipartisan group of senators.
"The agreement we just reached is the best possible chance we will have to secure our borders, bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America," Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, told reporters.
President Bush expressed gratitude to the senators for their work.
"I really am anxious to sign a comprehensive immigration bill as soon as I possibly can," he told reporters outside the White House. "Today, we took a good step toward this direction."
The 380-page bill, which comes after nearly three months of negotiations, would give immediate work authorization to undocumented workers who arrived in the United States before January 1, 2007. Those workers would be granted a "Z" visa and placed on the path to permanent residence, according to a summary provided by Kennedy, who is chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee.
Heads of household would have to return to their home country within eight years, and they would be guaranteed the right to return.
Applicants would also have to pay a $5,000 penalty.
Additionally, the number of Border Patrol agents would be doubled, border fencing would be strengthened and employers who hire undocumented workers would face fines.
The process of enforcing those provisions would take about 18 months, according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
After the provisions are in place, a guest-worker program would be initiated, under which 400,000 temporary workers per year would be granted a "Y" visa.
The two-year visas would require they return home for a year, then allow them to re-enter for an additional two-years. The process could be repeated twice more.
Each year, they would be able to bring their families on 30-day visitor visas, and each year, they would earn points toward a merit-based green card.
Specter: This is not amnesty
"It is not amnesty," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania. "This will restore the rule of law."
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called the bill "a first step, but an important first step, to moving forward with comprehensive overall immigration reform."
"I'm sure that there are certain provisions that each of us would not agree with, but this is what the legislative process is all about," said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, acknowledged that not everyone will be pleased with the bill's treatment of the immigration issue.
"To the American people, I would say, 'Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good,' " she said.
She said the bill would ensure that border security is strong and that farmers -- who depend largely on an undocumented work force -- will be able to find workers.
"From my perspective, it's not perfect, but it represents the best opportunity that we have, in a bipartisan way, to do something about this problem," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said the bill started out being about how to deal with illegal immigration "and wound up being about what it means to be an American ... I think we've got a deal that reflects who we are as Americans."
He added, "From the Ph.D. to the landscaper, there's a chance for you to participate in the American dream on our terms in a way that makes this country better."
Graham predicted the bill would find "overwhelming" support among lawmakers.
Debate on the bill is slated to get under way in the Senate on Monday, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she wants passage of a bill before August.
Bush: Immigration a tough issue for a lot of Americans
Bush described immigration as "a tough issue for a lot of Americans," but added, "The agreement reached today is one that will help enforce our borders but, equally importantly, it will treat people with respect. This is a bill where people who live here in our country will be treated without amnesty but without animosity."
That view was challenged by Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-California, chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus.
"The 'compromise' announced today by Sen. Kennedy will reward 12 million illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship -- what part of illegal does the Senate not understand?" he said in a written statement.
"Any plan that rewards illegal behavior is amnesty."
The American Immigration Lawyers Association decried the proposal as "large-scale social experimentation," singling out the "guest worker" program as one that would preclude a path to permanent residence for new temporary workers.
"A practical solution for the undocumented population is an enormously important step in the right direction," the association said in a written statement. "But the cost of fixing our current problems cannot be the creation of bigger problems in the future."
But Chertoff told CNN that the bill would help him better focus his resources.
"Right now, I've got my Border Patrol agents and my immigration agents chasing maids and landscapers. I want them to focus on drug dealers and terrorists. It seems to me, if I can get the maids and landscapers into a regulated system and focus my law enforcement on the terrorists and the drug dealers, that's how I get a safe border."
| Grrrr...Illegal immigration pisses me off.
Go the legal way!
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"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV |
05-17-07, 06:16 PM
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