Title: Immigration Reform – Do we have the answer?
The immigration reform issue has been with us for some time
now and we can’t seem to resolve this issue. It appears there may be a
resolution passed by the Senate and waiting on the House of Representatives to
adopt or reject. The resolution S 744 is pending debate and action in the House
as soon as Congress returns to session. This is a bipartisan bill that has been
designed to address the pertinent issues of immigration reform and provide
something for everybody in its design. Immigration reform is a term used in
political discussion regarding changes to current immigration policy of a
country. Reform being the keyword which by definition means to change into an
improved form or condition, by removing faults and abuses. There are hundreds
of issues involved in this debate some of which are:
·
There are an estimated 11 million illegal
immigrants in the U.S.
·
Border security poses a potential risk to
officers patrolling those borders.
·
Immigrants take American jobs
·
Work visas are not strictly enforced
·
Fixing the issue will only invite an increase in
illegals by 10 – 15% each year.
·
The system is currently dysfunctional in all
respects.
·
Workers are exploited and discriminated against
in the workplace because they have no options.
·
Since 2009 there have been 2 million aliens deported,
disrupting families and separating children from parents.
·
Difficulty for agricultural workers to enter for
seasonal work.
·
There have been 2 bills proposed one in 2005 and
one in 2006 that never got out of committee.
·
Pathway to citizenship flawed.
·
Adverse effects on the economy
These are just some of the problems that have been apparent
for some time and need to be addressed and reformed. This bill addresses the
following issues:
1.
Fix border enforcement
2.
Interior enforcement – fix visa overstays
3.
Prevent people from working without work permits
4.
Creating a committee to regulate visas depending
on changing economic times
5.
Amnesty program to legalize undocumented immigrants.
Pathway to citizenship
6.
Programs to help immigrants adapt to life in the
U.S.
The bill S744 was passed on January 28th, 2013 in
the Senate. This bill was created by a bi-partisan group of Senators. These
Senators were Democrats Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Bob Menendez and Michael
Bennett. The Republican Senators were John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio
and Jeff Flake. The
legislation is a product of bipartisan cooperation among lawmakers, business
groups, labor unions, agricultural interests, and immigration advocates, who
negotiated many compromises resulting in this structure for reform. This is a
1300 page bill and addresses the issues previously outlined and for the first
time in a while has the ability to resolve immigration reform issues.
The issue of
immigration reform needs to be resolved and this seems like the best chance we
have at getting a bi-partisan bill that actually can make a difference in
people’s lives and resolve the issues. The Congress has to do the job they have
been elected to do and make people’s lives better and truly enact the real
meaning of reform.
Related Sites:
Wikipedia
“What lies behind us and what
lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
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