Posted on 05/17/2007 12:16:18 PM PDT by 300magnum
WASHINGTON - Key senators in both parties and the White House announced agreement Thursday on an immigration overhaul that would grant quick legal status to millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S. and fortify the border.
The plan would create a temporary worker program to bring new arrivals to the U.S and a separate program to cover agricultural workers. Skills and education-level would for the first time be weighted over family connections in deciding whether future immigrants should get permanent legal status. New high-tech employment verification measures also would be instituted to ensure that workers are here legally.
The compromise came after weeks of painstaking closed-door negotiations that brought the most liberal Democrats and the most conservative Republicans together with President Bush's Cabinet officers to produce a highly complex measure that carries heavy political consequences.
Bush called it "a much-needed solution to the problem of illegal immigration in this country" and said, if approved, the proposal "delivers an immigration system that is secure, productive, orderly and fair."
"With this bipartisan agreement, I am confident leaders in Washington can have a serious, civil and conclusive debate so I can sign comprehensive reform into law this year," he said in a written statement. Bush planned to make remarks about the bill later Thursday at the White House.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, his party's lead negotiator on the deal, hailed it as "the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders and bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America."
Anticipating criticism from conservatives, Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said, "It is not amnesty. This will restore the rule of law."
The accord sets the stage for what promises to be a bruising battle next week in the Senate on one of Bush's top non-war priorities.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., called the proposal a "starting point" for that debate, but added that it needs improvement.
"I have serious concerns about some aspects of this proposal, including the structure of the temporary worker program and undue limitations on family immigration," Reid said in a statement.
The key breakthrough came when negotiators struck a bargain on a so-called "point system" that prioritizes immigrants' education and skill level over family connections in deciding how to award green cards.
The immigration issue also divides both parties in the House, which isn't expected to act unless the Senate passes a bill first.
The proposed agreement would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a "Z visa" and — after paying fees and a $5,000 fine — ultimately get on track for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. Heads of household would have to return to their home countries first.
They could come forward right away to claim a probationary card that would let them live and work legally in the U.S., but could not begin the path to permanent residency or citizenship until border security improvements and the high-tech worker identification program were completed.
A new temporary guest worker program would also have to wait until those so-called "triggers" had been activated.
Those workers would have to return home after work stints of two years, with little opportunity to gain permanent legal status or ever become U.S. citizens. They could renew their guest worker visas twice, but would be required to leave for a year in between each time.
Democrats had pressed instead for guest workers to be permitted to stay and work indefinitely in the U.S.
In perhaps the most hotly debated change, the proposed plan would shift from an immigration system primarily weighted toward family ties toward one with preferences for people with advanced degrees and sophisticated skills. Republicans have long sought such revisions, which they say are needed to end "chain migration" that harms the economy, while some Democrats and liberal groups say it's an unfair system that rips families apart.
Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card — except for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens.
New limits would apply to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.
Millions of new Democratic voters. They’re dancing at the DNC.
You are right.
My husband just recently retired and we where planning on going back to Texas but we are now seriously considering Australia. It looks better and better each minute. Our kids want to leave also !!!
And you are right, we have been betrayed.
THX....I love those guys....lol
An thus the united States of America is being sold out by those that claim to love her. May they rot before they die.
I see the end of my great nation, the shining star in a morass of mediocre to outright scum countries.
Everything wasted.
All the sacrifice, the sweat, the effort, the death, the commitment, all of it.
Gone.
Bastards.
My absolute favorites too. GMTA
Welcome. On this issue I am SO SORRY I voted for President Bush, not that Kerry would have been better, but d*** this is wrong on so many levels. Treason being at the top of the list.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/espanol/index.es.html
sarc-
Et tu, George?
AMEN!
Why can’t we restore the rule of law by changing a whole bunch of lawmakers next election?
Dear Senator, I would like to hereby renounce my American citizenship so as to take advantage of all the perks that will come with being an “undocumented worker”. I can negotiate with my employer (in a job no gringo wants) to work “under the table” for my wages and thereby not pay into the SS Untrustworthy fund. (which I will never receive anyway)
I can go to CASA and MALDEF for legal help when needed and can work with my local and state government to get housing preferences and mortgage help from Wells Fargo and Citi Bank.
Please advise the best way to go about this as I would like to take advantage of this new proposition.
We get to pay income taxes, and medicare taxes, and Social Security taxes, and property taxes... and pay to bail out hospitals and school systems that are overrun with illegals new Americans!
Any GOP politician that thinks their party would benefit by granting voting rights to tens of millions of third-world voters is delusional beyond repair. ....and there are more than a few of them out there. The rest of them know the score and simply don't care -- their NWO/socialist goals take obvious precedence.
The power elite knows they need to replace them somehow. This is how. When you kill off your children you lose your economic power.
Thank the MSM, Dems, Lib's, the Ungodly, the Evil and get used to Spanish and your schools being over run (ours are).
Think hard before coming back to Texas. I heard on the news today that we have added 305,000 new Mexicans since January of 2005, and that Hispanics will be the numerical majority in a matter of years. I’m trying to think of another place to live. I like the name “Yellowknife,” but I doubt if I’d like the cold.
Good golly, we're screwed.
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