Immigration Reform Legislation

GCLOVER007

Registered Users (C)
Hi Guys,
Recently every one talked about CIR, STRIVE and lots of other bills. Is there any updates? Did Senate pass any bill so far. Can we expect any good news in near future?

Any updates?
 
New Information

Hi,
Below is the information from my state Senetor.

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Dear Mr. XXXXXXXXX:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the immigration reform legislation that was passed in the Senate. This is an extremely important issue, and I am pleased to hear from you on this matter.


As you may know, in the last Congress, the Senate, with my support, passed by a vote of 62 to 36, The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611), which was introduced by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). Earlier, I was an original co-sponsor of the McCain-Kennedy Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act (S. 1033). Although the final version of the Senate legislation does contain some provisions with which I disagree, I supported the bill because it will enhance our national security, promote our economic well-being, and create a fair and compassionate path to citizenship for those who came here to work hard, pay taxes, respect the law, and learn English.


The Senate legislation included the three major aspects of immigration policy that must be addressed for us to forge effective, all encompassing policy reform. First, on border security, the measures in this bill increased the number of border patrol officers, immigration enforcement agents, and detention beds, and funded the deployment of better technology to monitor the border. Furthermore, this legislation established an effective verification system that will allow employers to confirm the workers they hire are here legally and hold accountable those companies that nevertheless break the law by hiring undocumented.


Second, S. 2611 allowed undocumented immigrants who have been present in the United States for at least five years to apply for a work visa lasting six years. They would have to pay thousands of dollars in fines, clear background checks, and then must remain gainfully employed and law-abiding. After six years of working in the U.S. on a temporary visa, an immigrant could apply for permanent residency, provided he or she paid an additional fee, proved payment of taxes, and could show knowledge of English and U.S. civics. Only after a combined period of 11 years could the immigrant apply for U.S. citizenship. Those who have been here between two to five years would have to apply through a stricter guest worker program and would have to wait even longer before they could win legal residency. By welcoming those hard-working and law-abiding people, we free up resources we need to seal our borders and pursue the real dangers posed by terrorists, drug traffickers, and other criminals.


None of these undocumented immigrants would earn legal residency before we cleared the backlog of people waiting to receive visas to enter the United States. Immigrants living in the U.S. legally have been waiting far too long to be reunited with their spouses and young children. This bill would have cleared those family reunification backlogs, and undocumented immigrants will have to get to the back of the line.

Lastly, even with the provisions I have already outlined, we would still face the prospect of future illegal immigration; the Senate legislation establishes a guest worker program to channel future flows through legal avenues. People who want to come here to work woul first be screened to ensure that they have committed no crimes. They can only come if they have legitimate jobs at prevailing wage rates, and work visas will not be made available for any job that an American worker is willing to fill. With the verification and enforcement provisions I have already described, opportunities for undocumented workers will dry up. People will have no incentive to illegally enter the U.S. if they know that working here will not be a viable option.


I strongly oppose the House version of immigration reform, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437), which would criminalize the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. and turn Samaritans who offer humanitarian aid into outlaws. Unfortunately, S. 2611 was not passed by congress prior to adjournment of the 109th Congress. However, we all agree that we must do more to secure our borders and prevent more illegal immigration. I believe the s. 2611 offered a pragmatic and workable solution to these problems. I hope that I have adequately explained why I supported the Senate immigration reform legislation, and you may be assured that I will continue to monitor developments on this issue closely on behalf of you and other Connecticut citizens who have written to convey their concerns.

Thank you again for letting me know your views and concerns. Please contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work in Congress.
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