From a group of four Republicans mixed with four Democrats, a new bill has been introduced by a team of U.S senators which would "fix chronic problems" in the area regarding United States immigration and citizenship. The Democrats on this team are Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Charles E. Schumer of New York and Michael Bennet of Colorado, whereas the Republican group included John McCain and Jeff Flake, both hailing from Arizona, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Basically, the bill would end up "bring[ing] an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants to the right side of the law," as well as change the criteria of immigration to focus even more on merit-based qualifications.
Perhaps, the part of the bill which would introduce the most controversy is the section allowing illegal immigrants the opportunity of citizenship after thirteen years. This stance is almost guaranteed to generate antagonism from the GOP; however, certain provisions have been implemented in order to avoid resistance. The senators required that Homeland Security increase enforcement and fencing near the Southwest border over the span of the next decade. Before the plan can be successfully initiated, these border reforms would need to be fully functional.
Aside from citizenship reform, this bill would also change the legal requirements for immigration to the U.S for foreign-born applicants. Visas would be given to those who could score one-hundred twenty thousand on the new "merit-based" point system. This program would increasingly reward well qualified immigrants, based on education, family ties, skills, and time spent in the United States. The majority of future visas would be awarded to those who have family ties, or members currently in the United States.
President Obama himself agreed with the Senators that the bill itself was "largely consistent" with what the general public endorses. Senator McCain and Schumer both gave praise to the president, with Senator Schumer stating, "I thanked him for that. John thanked him for that.”
With the aforementioned information above, what do you think about this new "bill" proposed by the bi-partisan team of eight? Is the provision regarding citizenship fair? How about the new merit-based program for immigration?
More information can be found at here and here.
3 comments:
While its nice to see that an official proposal is going to be brought forth, I am surprised at the 13 years requirement. The number seems a bit high compared to the projected numbers from earlier, but is still an important part of the bill. While that part of the bill is quite fair, the merit based program seems controversial to me. Sorting out the immigrants based on such criteria seems ridiculous, especially when many of these immigrants lived in the United States in poverty and squalid conditions. Lots of them may not have gotten a chance to get educated or develop their skills. I don't believe that portion of the bill should even here, and that something else should be used as a legal requirement for Visas.
I completely agree with Smita about the merit portion of the bill. It seems counterproductive to the point of immigration reform. The reform should be helping immigrants get on their feet and becoming able. A merit based system amounts to telling them to do things on their own for a while, which as Smita said, might not even be possible. However, the components of this "merit" score make the concept a little better. If it less about merit and more about likelihood of remaining in the United States and being capable of work, then it makes more sense.
The 13 year limit seems like another result of the compromise. While it does seem like a long time, it is necessary to keep the bill from not passing.
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