Senate group reaches immigration deal

[cal04]

Source: Politico

A powerful group of senators from both parties has reached a deal on the outlines of a comprehensive immigration overhaul, a development that will drive an emotional debate on a hot-button issue unseen in Washington for more than half a decade.

The group is expected to unveil the basics of its proposal at a Monday news conference on Capitol Hill, essentially laying down a marker on the issue one day before President Barack Obama heads to Las Vegas to unveil more details about his own immigration proposal.

According to a five-page document provided to POLITICO, the sweeping proposal — agreed to in principle by eight senators — would seek to overhaul the legal immigration system as well as create a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s roughly 11 million illegal immigrants. But establishing that pathway would depend on whether the U.S. first implements stricter border enforcement measures and new rules ensuring immigrants have left the country in compliance with their visas. Young people brought to the country as children illegally and seasonal agriculture industry workers would be given a faster path to citizenship.

The broad agreement by the influential Gang of Eight senators amounts to the most serious bipartisan effort to act on the highly charged issue since George W. Bush’s comprehensive measure was defeated in the Senate in 2007.





Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/senate-group-reaches-immigration-deal-86793.html?hp=t1

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/immigration-reform-obama_n_2564400.html
"Bipartisan Framework for Immigration Reform" report

A detailed, four-page statement of principles carries the names of four Republicans and four Democrats, a bipartisan push that would have been unimaginable just months ago on one of the country’s most divisive issues.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/142894316/Bipartisan-immigration-plan

[elleng]

1. The bipartisan coalition includes

influential Democrats such as Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the No. 3 in the leadership. It also has the backing of Sen. Bob Menendez, the Cuban-American Democrat from New Jersey poised to be chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. And it has the support of Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, the new chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Republican heavy-hitters also have signed onto the deal’s framework, including two veterans of the bruising 2007 effort: Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. But it also won the support of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising GOP star and possible future presidential candidate. And the freshman Arizona Republican, Jeff Flake, who endorsed similar comprehensive plans during his House tenure, has also backed the proposal.

[DallasNE]

2. How Is This A Pathway To Citizenship

new rules ensuring immigrants have left the country in compliance with their visas

So, if they leave the country how do they prove they were here previously. And if they left the country they would have to first give up their jobs. My guess is that most of these people would not be allowed back into the country on a visa. This needs a lot more fleshing out because I don't understand what the pathway is. And since few of them have visas in the first place because they came here illegally makes me think this applies mostly to Indians working IT that overstayed their visas. It sure doesn't look like comprehensive immigration reform to me. Not with this poison pill amendment.

[Proud Public Servant]

4. As I understand it

It's a two-part thing: Dems get the path to citizenship provision, GOP gets the stricter border enforcement provision. The visa provision is part of stricter border enforcement; it's not aimed at the 11 million who are here, it's aimed at possible future visa over-stayers.

[DallasNE]

6. The Devil Is In The Details

I understand that this plan calls for border security first but that is at cross purposes with the call to allow migrant farm workers into the country. Border security is already so tight that foods rotted in the fields in the South last year due to lack of farm workers. The language about having to leave the country then come back on a visa is a poison pill to a pathway because that just will not happen. Let's put this up on a chart so we can see how this can work. So far all we have is a series of bullet points in a presentation.

[Proud Public Servant]

8. Not necessarily

A secure border isn't the same think as a sealed border. Creating a path for more legal migrant workers -- via a European-style guest worker program, for example -- both helps secure the border and helps facilitate migrant labor.

But you're right, of course: the Devil is always in the details.

[DallasNE]

9. It Seems That We Are Agreeing

My point of needing to chart this out is reinforced by your pointing out how a path for more legal migrant farm workers is intertwined with border security and how a security first approach is at cross purposes with a workable solution. Indeed, because we have been on a security first path we have ended up with crops rotting in the fields due to the effectiveness of the border security measures without a guest worker program in place at the same time. Doubling down on security first will just make the seasonal labor shortage worse.

Now I understand the need for Republicans to be able to go back home and say we got agreement on security first while Democrats go back home and say we got a path to citizenship when neither is wholly true, which I suspect is the case.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

7. There are plenty of items that you can provide as evidence you were in the U.S.

these include leases, utility bills, tax returns, school records, etc.

What remains to be seen is how the 3/10 year bar will apply, if at all. As for visa overstays, you'll be surprised to know that most who overstay their visas are not Indians in IT, but Canadians and others who came in as tourists and never left or who came in with an F (student) or J (trainee/intern/au pair) visa and never left.

Moreover, visa overstays are treated somewhat differently than EWIs (entries without inspection). For instance, if a person who overstays her visa marries a U.S. citizen, she will be allowed to adjust to permanent residence while in the U.S. and - barring anything wrong such as fraud - she will be granted LPR status.

However, a person who enters without inspection and then marries a U.S. citizen will not be allowed to adjust status while in the U.S. He will need to apply outside the U.S. and possibly request a waiver of inadmissibility in order to avoid the 3/10 year bar.

I don't see anything wrong with leaving the U.S. and applying for immigration benefits abroad. It's done all the time for all types of visas and immigration benefits.

I have plenty of employees who do this, since most people who travel internationally and have new visas or new extensions will need to be interviewed at a U.S. consular section abroad prior to be able to re-enter the U.S.

[davidpdx]

3. It sounds like a plan, but I have to think the House will stop it

[pampango]

11. Dem rep.: GOP (in the House) must stand up to tea party to get immigration reform

Congressman Steve Israel, a Democrat from New York, said Monday on Jansing & Co. that immigration reform has the potential for success.

“It’s all about whether House Republicans are willing to stand up to their tea Party base,” Israel said. ”You’ve got a bipartisan group of Senators left and right advocating a path forward, you’ve got the President of the United States who unveiled his views on a path forward. What this comes down to now is—will these House Republicans, who have pandered to their intolerant Tea Party base, who have fed into the extremism of that tea party base, are they willing to stand up to the tea party and do what’s right for America?” Israel said.

A bipartisan group of Senators is unveiling a plan to deal with immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. It will also include a guest worker program, border security, and an enhanced e-verify system.

“When you’ve got Republicans Senators who are willing to support this, it’s time for House Republicans to support it as well,” Israel said.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/01/28/dem-rep-gop-must-stand-up-to-tea-party-to-get-immigration-reform/

The House is where the push from the left will meet the shove from the right. While I hope that comprehensive reform will pass for the good of the country, I hope that House republicans will "pander to their intolerant Tea Party base" enough to embarrass their party in the eyes of everyone but their base.

[olegramps]

5. Well, the Repukians have been forced to throw the Latinos an olive branch:

They can do all this posturing but it won't fool those that they have despised for decades as lazy ignorant moochers. It would be like the Southern racists trying to convince the Blacks that now they love them as equals. If they think that they can magically wipe away decades of their hatred to get their vote, they are delusional. Their sole purpose is to exploit them, not accept them.

[EastKYLiberal]

10. This is the one issue on which I will accept compromise just to get it out of the way.

It's way down there on my priority list.