Roberts told the Times that he does not believe much support exists among lawmakers for exempting the program from the control of the FISA court. That is the approach Bush has favored and one that would be established under a bill proposed by Sen. Mike DeWine (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio.White House officials have said their bar for agreeing to any legislative changes would be high. They have signaled they are open only to legislation that would "further codify" in law the authority the president insists he already has without Congress' approval, something officials believe would be accomplished with DeWine's proposal. ...
The following bills and joint resolutions were introduced, read the first and second times by unanimous consent, and referred as indicated: ...By Mr. DOMENICI:
S. 2326. A bill to provide for immigration reform, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
By Mr. DOMENICI:S. 2326. A bill to provide for immigration reform, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill regarding immigration: the Welcoming Immigrants to a Secure Homeland Act of 2006.
As a border State Senator and the son of immigrants, I have a unique perspective on immigration. I understand the need to provide a secure homeland for my constituents who see the problems caused by illegal entries into our country every day. I also understand the need to welcome immigrants to our country, so that America remains a country where hardworking, entrepreneurial, and intelligent immigrants can prosper. My perspective is the basis for the WISH Act.
I believe we can welcome immigrants to a secure homeland by addressing five areas.
First, we must improve security at our international borders. On November 17, 2005, I introduced the Border Security and Modernization Act of 2005, S. 2049. That bill calls for improvements to our port of entry infrastructure, increased Department of Homeland Security, DHS, and Department of Justice personnel, new technologies and assets for border security, increased detention capacity, and additional Federal assistance for States. I believe these actions will provide the necessary increased security at our borders.
Second, we must improve enforcement of our immigration laws. The WISH Act addresses this situation by increasing the number of DHS personnel who investigate human smuggling laws, employment of immigrants, and immigration fraud. My bill also increases penalties for violations of immigration laws and provides for a system to verify a worker's employment eligibility.
Third, we must create a new guest worker visa that is easier to obtain and lets individuals who want to come to the United States to work know that if they are hardworking and industrious, we want them in America. The WISH Act creates such a visa, which is valid for up to 9 years if the guest worker remains employed. After the applicant has worked in the United States for 6 of those years, he or she may apply for permanent resident status. An applicant's spouse and unmarried minor children may be admitted to the United States with the guest worker. To ensure that such visas are issued only to legitimate guest workers, my bill requires applicants to provide information on his or her criminal history, gang membership, immigration history, and involvement with groups that have engaged in terrorist acts, genocide, persecution, or plans to overthrow the United States. It also provides for the completion of all necessary background checks.
Fourth, we must account for the millions of undocumented aliens residing in the United States. I believe that the vast majority of these aliens are honest, hard-working individuals who are contributing to our country in positive ways, so the WISH Act allows them to obtain the guest worker visa I just mentioned without leaving the United States if he or she pays a fine. This will allow for these aliens, and their immediate families, to remain in the country doing the work they already do. In order to provide for their timely and orderly transition into legal guests, my bill requires undocumented aliens to apply for this visa or leave the United States. Failure to take one of those actions means they will be removed from the United States and will be unable to return. For aliens who have been working in the United States for at least 5 years before enactment of the WISH Act, my bill allows them to apply for any visa, adjustment of status, or immigration benefit except adjustment of status to that of a permanent resident after they have worked as legal guests for 5 years. However, such applications may not be granted until the alien has returned to his home country.
Lastly, we must create a more welcoming environment for students and visitors to our country. Before the horrific events of September 11, 2001, the United States was a preferred place for foreign students to attend school. This was beneficial to our country because students came to the United States to study, but they stayed here to work. They did business with colleagues they met at U.S. schools. Our country was obtaining some of the most brilliant minds not only from within our borders but from across the world. Unfortunately, restrictions and limitations put on visas in recent years have forced many of the business leaders of the next generation to attend school in other more welcoming countries. To reverse this trend, the WISH Act allows full-time foreign college and graduate students to work and travel while studying in the United States and provides for foreign students who graduate from a U.S. college with honors to stay in the United States to work after graduation.
I am personally involved in this issue both because I represent a border State and because I remember the day, when I was 5 or 6 years old, that my parents learned that the lawyer who advised them about citizenship was wrong and my mother was an illegal alien. Federal officials came to our house to arrest my mother while my father was at work. It was a frightening situation for my entire family that occurred through no fault of my mother, who had lived in America for more than 30 years as an exemplary citizen and who was told by an attorney that she was an American.
I believe that we can, and must, do our best to prevent situations like this from occurring in the future. I believe that the measures in the WISH Act, together with the measures in my Border Security and Modernization Act, will play an important role in that effort, and I am pleased to introduce this bill today.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: ... [It's long, and no link to text other than below]
Domenici Unveils U.S. Immigration Reform Bill : February 17, 2006
http://domenici.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=251739