Immigration Reform Deal Would Have Large Ramifications on Illegal Immigrants in Country!
Illegal immigrants could have to wait up to 13 years to gain legal status in the United States if a deal between the Bush administration and U.S. Senators were to occur.
An Associated Press story provided some details behind this proposed immigration law, which would delay a sweeping change to the current immigration system in the United States until its borders were made more secure and stronger.
The story described this immigration reform deal as placing a greater emphasis on beefing up the border and instituting a high-tech identification system for temporary workers. With this process expected to take up to two years, the story indicated that the processes of granting legal status to illegal immigrants and guest work visas to new immigrants would be put on hold.
At that point, the story said that the estimated 12 million immigrants in the country could have to wait up to 13 years in order to get permanent legal status or green cards. During this time, these illegal immigrants could be levied large fines and returned to their home countries.
All the while, the story said that the government would spend eight years clearing the backlogs of immigrants currently waiting for visas. Government officials were described in the story as saying that it would take roughly another five years to process illegal immigrants in the country.
The story added that the negotiations involving this proposed U.S. immigration reform bill have been led by Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy (Massachusetts), who has been working with Republican senators and White House officials with the hope of getting something done before the immigration issue truly explodes in the Democratically-controlled Senate.
Democrats have been interested in an immigration law that would grant legal status to the huge population of undocumented immigrants and also welcome new immigrants. Some Republicans have said that they will challenge anything that appears to be a mass amnesty bill granting legal status to illegal immigrants. These conservative Republicans have continually called for illegal immigrants to be deported.
Other Republicans are looking to quell the immigration issue and reach a deal. Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania called this proposed immigration law a "grand bargain" in the story and pleaded for more time to reach an agreement on it.
President Bush has indicated his wishes to reform the current immigration system, and the story detailed how this proposed immigration reform deal would be tougher than the one the Senate passed last year.
This leaves the question of whether other Democrats and liberal groups will find such an immigration reform deal acceptable!
Ultimately, this negotiating between U.S. Senators and immigration reform reveals once again how much of an issue immigration is in the United States and how there is an urgent need for change, at least among the consensus' thought. Just last week, Total Lawyers detailed just how many more immigration bills have been proposed and considered already this year as compared to 2006!
Visit Total Lawyers and The Law and Lawyers Blog for updates on the immigration debate, from proposed immigration bills to the latest news on immigration. And if you have immigration issues yourself, get in touch with a local immigration lawyer as soon as possible to learn more about your rights. An immigration lawyer may be able to help you with a visa application or extension of a visa, fight deportation charges or do something else.
