politics: U.S. Senate begins immigration reform debate
News
mon 5/21/2007
(image by Daquella manera via flickr)
Last Thursday, U.S. lawmakers announced a bi-partisan immigration reform deal that would give an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants a chance to obtain permanent residency. This week, the Senate began debating the merits of the proposal which gives priority to immigrants with more education rather than family in the U.S. Previous immigration laws have favored family ties – in 2006, over 60% of immigration visas were given to relatives of citizens or permanent residents. The new agreement would also create a temporary guest worker program after increased border security and worker identification programs are set up.
Under the new plan, immigrants would be required to pay a $5,000 fine for a "Z visa" with permanent residency following somewhere between eight and thirteen years later. In the case of families, the head of household would have to return to his or her native country, though some might be eligible for a probationary card that would allow them to remain while working.
The proposal, which will not come up for vote in the Senate until June, has proponents and detractors on both sides of the aisle. Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts says the carefully crafted compromise is "the best possible chance," despite criticisms that favoring skills over family ties will break up many homes. Republicans are also divided: President Bush and Arizona Senator John McCain support the deal, though many on the political right decry the proposal as a reward for lawbreakers – i.e., amnesty.
Though it's still unclear what – if any – version of this proposal will come out of the sausage factory, one outcome is more certain: if even a fraction of these changes go into effect, the immigration lawyers are going to make bank.
ª└εx© Says:
POWER TO ALL US LATINOS!!!!!!!!!!! P.S PLEZE EVERYBODY HOLLA AT ME AT [210]***-****!!!!! JUST ASK FOR XAVIER!!!!!!!
sexy bere
(san antonio)
6/1/2007
Yo apoyo a todos mis salvadorenos y latinos
Gati
6/1/2007
the gov should just give all the immagrants papers because if you export all of us this country would go down in ruins like somebody go out and find a gerngo that would like to hull bricks or go clean a house or take care of a baby boy so what is the point of throwing us out if everybody knows that mostly all the immargrants do the jobs that many white people dont want to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so yeah that is what i think of this immargrant situation!!!!!!!!! QUE VIVA LA RAZA MEXICAN Y LOS LATINOS UNINDOS
LA Flakita
5/23/2007
well i think we are alredy giving something to this country, cuzz almost the soldiers that are dying in Iraq are latinos, the white soldiers dont fight they are safe.
Julie
6/1/2007
POWER TO ALL US LATINOS!!
Stephanie
(Vienna,Virginia)
5/25/2007
if you live in the united states, you should be giving uncle sam something for letting you profit on his soil. I do think that the educational stipulation thought over familial ties is a bit odd, because I would think most families seek to bring their children here for a better education. I guess that's just a paradox they'll have to cross when they come to it. But people should get registered somehow, and should be contributing to our country, together. it's give and take. I do heart latinos though, but let's note that this law doesn't just pertain to latinos. And I'm pretty sure, to the above woman, that white people take care of kids too.
michele
(sterling heights, mi)
6/1/2007
Come on people, we can't be ignorant in a moment like this. White people can do the jobs we latinos do (although not always better than us), and both latinos and americans die in war. I've seen Americans living worse than some Mexicans, but that's not the point. The real reason Americans should let us stay is because like them, we are humans. We all have the right to be happy, we all have feelings, we all love, and we are all part of the same race: the human race. I don't think that its fair that they take advantage of our countries, by taking our oil, taking trips to our lands, and by living there, but we can't take the opportunity to come here to America, willing to bust our tails, and get some money to support our families. I think that borders should only be to seperate countries from other countries to know where you are, not to be part of a different group or race.
Dat Dude
(Santa Fe, NM)
6/1/2007
arriba los latinos an .... the haterz
HEY
1/17/2008
That's what I'm talking about the flaw to that is everybody has a different story so it may not work for everyone which six cause this country was founded by immigrants
Come Attend My Breakdance..
12/9/2008
your response