Republicans Put Immigration Laws Back on Political Agenda

ASHINGTON, Aug. 3 — For the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, several Republicans in Congress are pushing for broad legislation that would regulate the flow of foreign workers into the country and potentially legalize millions of illegal employees.

Senator John McCain and Representatives Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, all Republicans from Arizona, introduced bills in July that would grant permanent residency over several years to foreign workers who enter the country legally and to illegal workers already in the United States. Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, also introduced a guest worker bill last month.

The measures have been criticized by liberal advocacy groups that contend that they do too little for immigrants and by conservative Republicans who say they go too far. White House officials say they have not taken a stance on the bills, and their proponents do not expect them to pass this year.

But critics on both sides of the political divide said the proposals were still significant because they constituted the first time Republicans in Congress had pushed aggressively for comprehensive changes in immigration laws since talks on the issue between President Bush and President Vicente Fox of Mexico collapsed after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Mr. Bush and Mr. Fox had been working on a long-term strategy to regulate immigration flows from Mexico and legalize the status of millions of illegal immigrants already in this country. The plan appealed to Hispanics and to big businesses, important political constituencies for the Bush administration.

"To have Republicans stepping up and proposing these important but imperfect bills is something of a breakthrough," said Frank Sharry, who runs the National Immigration Forum, a policy group.

"To me, it's the post-9/11 signal that it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when we're going to legalize more migration so that we can better regulate it," Mr. Sharry said.

Mr. McCain said he expected the plans to be attacked from "both ends of the spectrum" and that the legislation would face many political obstacles.

Advocates for immigrants said that the bills lacked adequate safeguards for workers and created a complicated and arduous legalization process. On the other side, Representative Tom Tancredo, Republican of Colorado, has criticized the plans as an attack on America's borders.

"It's really amnesty on the installment plan," said Mr. Tancredo, the leader of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, which favors reducing immigration. "They are even more ambitious in their amnesty proposal than some of the Democrats I've seen. We have to watch this carefully."

Mr. McCain and other supporters of the proposals said that many illegal immigrants did jobs that Americans do not want and that legalizing such workers would help many businesses. They also said they hoped that the legislation would help curtail or end the abuses some illegal immigrants suffer. Many die during desert crossings or suffer at the hands of smugglers and ruthless employers.

"We all know it is an issue that must be addressed," Mr. McCain said in a telephone interview. "The status quo is no longer acceptable. This starts the debate."

The bills would allow the number of worker visas to be determined by the demand for workers. Jobs listed on a Labor Department registry for 14 days and not filled by Americans could be given to an immigrant guest worker. The jobs would be advertised every three years to ensure that American workers were not interested.

Foreign workers who apply for temporary work visas while living abroad could apply for legal permanent residency after working in the United States for three years. Illegal immigrants already here would have to pay a $1,500 fine and wait for three years before applying for permanent residency if an employer sponsored the application, or six years without an employer sponsor.

"We will be able to funnel 99 percent of the currently undocumented population through ports of entry, where they can be documented, screened and monitored to give the U.S. a better understanding of who is living within the nation's borders," Mr. Kolbe said in a speech in Tucson last week.

Mr. Cornyn's bill would allow illegal immigrants to receive guest worker status if sponsored by their employers. But they would have to return home after three years. Once there, their applications for permanent residency would be given priority.

Democrats say Mr. Cornyn's bill would separate families by requiring workers to leave the United States to apply for green cards.

Don Stewart, a spokesman for Mr. Cornyn, said the senator was pleased that the measure had stirred debate. "It has sparked discussion and it will continue to do so," Mr. Stewart said.

MEMO TO CONGRESS:

(COPY AND DISTRIBUTE WIDELY: start a movement, print a petition, start a political party, confront your legislators, write letters, post posters, drop leaflets, demand, demand, demand.)

ACTION PLAN: Border Violators

1) Close all US borders to illegal entry forthwith by any and all means possible, including military presence.

2) Maintain legitimate immigration levels at modest annual level with requirements that immigrants be employable or sufficiently wealthy for self-support if they do not intend to work, proficient in basic English and willing to be assimilated into American culture and language. All applicants shall provide prints, photos and DNA samples.

3) Legal immigration shall be awarded to individuals on a lottery basis, wherein all countries are given equal status in the immigration lottery, without regards to color or economic plight of originating nation.

4) Those from Muslim countries, or individuals of Islamic faith from any country, shall be denied immigration privileges to the US.

5) Detain all border violators, taking photos, prints and DNA samples of said violator while at the same time, checking for out standing warrants. If no warrants are outstanding, return border violators to home country within 20 days via commercial airline and submit cost of such action, including processing and housing costs for said violator, to country of origin. If costs are not paid within 30 days, reduce any and all aid to said country by a like amount.

6) Should any country from which a border violator originates not currently receive any aid from the US, the Justice Department shall be authorized to seize or secure liens on assets owned, managed or registered to that country to the full extent of the obligation.

7) Establish new Guest Worker Visa (GWV) category, renewable every 6 months, for unskilled labor positions wherein all applicants shall provide prints, photos and DNA samples. Work permitted of such applicants shall be limited to one of several categories, including childcare, lawn/gardening, restaurant staff, cleaning and the like. Families of GWV workers are not permitted to enter US, nor will the birth of a child to one of GWV status confer citizenship to either parent or child.

8) Any violation of civil or criminal laws shall result in the forfeiture of the GWV and immediate return to originating country.

9) GWV holders shall be prohibited from claiming unemployment benefits, welfare support or free medical service.

10) The originating country of all GWV holders shall be responsible for any uninsured loss caused by the GWV, including emergency medical claims and/or claims resulting from illegal actions committed while in the US.

11) Companies who hire GWV holders shall submit to the Immigration Dept the name and GWV number of that individual, along with a description of employment tasks. Companies who fail to report employment of GWV workers, or hire illegal workers, shall be subject to penalty. GWV workers shall be paid with check, having income tax withheld. GWV workers shall not be subject to unemployment tax because they are not eligible for unemployment claims.

12) Border violators, or any non-citizen not possessing a valid visa, detained by local police for any reason shall be turned over to border control officials for immediate deportation action, except if they face criminal charges in other jurisdictions.

13) GWV workers shall be prohibited for voting in local, state and federal elections.

14) Border Violators shall NOT be afforded the rights enjoyed by American citizens, as guaranteed under the constitution.

15) Public education (at institutions supported by taxpayer dollars) at any level (pre-school, kindergarten through the university level,) shall NOT be available to Border Violators (or children of Border Violators) and schools that enroll such individuals shall be subject to penalties.

16) Foreign Students (F/S) (individuals admitted to the U.S. for the purpose of attending any educational facility,) private institution or public (i.e. supported by taxpayer dollars,) must have valid student visas, such visas being in force only if the FS attends full-time school. Foreign students shall be required to pay tuition, housing and related costs such that all their educational costs are fully reimbursed to the institution attended. The originating country shall pay for any and all loss caused by students while on U.S. soil.

17) Border Violators seeking emergency medical treatment shall provide pictures, fingerprints and DNA samples along with country of origin, and shall be incarcerated until information provided can be verified. Originating country shall bear the costs of medical treatment.

18) Children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants, or of foreign nationals in the U.S. for any reason, including temporary school, visitor or work visas, shall not be eligible for citizenship as a result of birth, nor shall the newborn child’s parents or persons related to the child’s parents be conferred U.S. citizenship as a circumstance of any child’s birth.

Dear President Bush and members of the 108th congress of the United States of America:

We the people of India would like thank you for your representation within your government without any taxation. We appreciate the free education granted to us via the tax dollars of the citizens of the United States and we also appreciate the business you provide us via those same tax dollars. We are so happy that you are willing to represent us, the people of India, without taxation all the while discontinuing your representation of the citizens of the United States, while taxing them and giving us their tax dollars. As much help as you have given us, exporting all of your jobs here, giving us billions in aid, making sure your citizens give up their jobs for us, free education, we almost think that your families are from India. As far as your displaced citizens, we know that this is simply Karma and just as we do nothing for those in our country lying in a gutter, we would never interfere with your citizens' Karma, whom we have displaced with their own tax dollars, that we would like to start a relief fund and help provide for their unemployment benefits as you continue to provide for us and ignore your own citizens. Soon I am sure it will be the United States of India as we are all proud here to have you on board. Mr. President, we are so happy you are just like your father, ignoring your own citizens and giving the rest of the world all of your money. We in kind will continue to ship mangoes to the United States to help feed the unemployed until the eventual collapse of your country.
Sincerely,

Mahatma Gupta.

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