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A New Bill In Favor Of Illegal ImmigrantsOn March 27 th , the Senate Judicial Committee approved legislation on a vote of 12-6 to legalize the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US . The Senate Judicial Committee voted down the provision that would crack down the illegal immigrants in a previous House-passed bill in December 2005. The committee also passed a temporary worker program that would allow about 400 thousand foreign workers to enter the US each year and would grant them citizenship as long as they have met the legal requirements. The result is the victory of the massive rallies protesting the previous House-passed measure in many big cities all over the US . Although President Bush, the leader of Republicans has been pushing a guest worker program, the Republican-controlled House passed a rigorous border security bill that would strictly limit foreign worker to enter the US and would make illegal immigration in the US felony. Therefore, most of Republicans in the Senate Judicial Committee opposed the new legislation that would grant more rights to the illegal immigrants. However, by the support of Democrats, a few Republicans, business leaders, immigrant advocacy organizations and church groups, the new legislation was approved on a 12-6 vote in the Senate Judicial Committee. It abandoned the felony provision and protected the individuals and groups offering assistant to the illegal immigrants from being prosecuted. The US will intensify its enforcement on borders and control the illegally entered foreign workers. Once takes effect, the new bill would double the Border Patrol and build a "virtual wall" with unmanned vehicles, cameras and sensors to monitor the US-Mexico border. The new bill has created approaches to legalize the illegal immigrants: illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before 2004 can work legally for six years after paying a $1,000 fine and clearing a criminal background check. They would also become eligible for permanent residency after paying another $1,000 fine, back taxes, and learning English. Any worker who remained unemployed for more than 60 days during those six years would be forced to leave; employers could petition for green cards in behalf of their employees six months after they entered into the program. In addition, participants in the temporary worker program can earn green cards after working for six years in the US ; Five years after being a legal permanent resident (obtaining green cards), foreign workers could apply for citizenship. This is the so-called "11-year journey to citizenship."
(03/29/2006) For more immigration news, please click here |
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