Lawmakers tackle immigration
WASHINGTON – Two lawmakers will fire the opening salvo in this year’s immigration debate Thursday when they introduce the first House bill in many years to seek citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., will unveil broad legislation that also would create a new worker program, stiffen worker verification procedures and overhaul the visa system to reduce waiting times for legal immigrants.
In recognition of the tensions that surround the issue, the bill also contains provisions designed to appeal to conservatives who want stronger border enforcement and oppose citizenship provisions that grant amnesty to people in the country illegally.
One measure would ensure that tough border security and work-site enforcement standards are met before other changes can go forward. Another would require illegal immigrants eligible for citizenship under the bill to leave the country and return legally.
The congressmen, veterans of the immigration issue, are introducing their legislation at a time when Senate efforts to craft a bill have stalled, even as the Bush administration has worked intensely to build Republican support. Flake and Gutierrez had worked with Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., to craft a joint bill before moving ahead on their own.
Kennedy praised their bill Tuesday and said he was optimistic a Senate bill would follow soon.
Early reaction from conservative Republicans was guarded. “They seem to be moving in the right direction here,” said Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., “but moving away from rewarding people for being here illegally is an essential part of repairing our immigration system.”
On Tuesday, Gutierrez stressed that their chances of success would dim if the House and Senate did not pass their respective bills by July, because the approaching election year would make it harder. He also noted that the bill had to have bipartisan support to pass.
Gutierrez pointed in particular to the provision requiring illegal immigrants to leave the country as part of the pitch for conservative support.
“This will say, ‘Listen, you left and you … actually went through the legal process of entering the United States,’ ” he said in a conference call with members of the nation’s ethnic media. “Is it going to sound somewhat absurd to some people? Certainly it will. But it’s a requirement that many (Republicans) wish in the bill.”
Illegal immigrants would be eligible for legalization if they arrived in the United States before June 1, 2006. They would have to pay a $2,000 fine and back taxes, and pass background and security checks.
If after six years they have learned English and civics, kept a clean record, and the head of household has left and re-entered the U.S. legally, they could become legal permanent residents, a step toward citizenship.
Unlike a Senate bill passed last year, those leaving the country would not have to go to their home countries but could travel to Canada or Mexico. Exceptions to the requirement would be made for children, the elderly, single heads of households, business owners and those in military service.
Gutierrez said the bill’s border security provisions focus more on “smart technology, not fences.” They call for more border patrol agents and better coordination with Latin American countries.
The bill would increase penalties for crimes committed by immigrants, including human smuggling, gang activity, and visa and document fraud.
The legislation would mandate a new biometric system that employers would use to verify that workers have legal status. Gutierrez said the administration has pledged to have a system in place by the end of 2008.