Breaking: House GOP proposes legalizing immigrants

[okaawhatever]

Source: Politico

CAMBRIDGE, Md. — House Republicans are proposing to overhaul immigration laws so undocumented immigrants can gain legalization if they meet certain requirements, and if the nation’s borders are certified as secure.

The document — a draft of which POLITICO obtained before it was circulated here to members of of the House Republican Conference — lays out no legislation, but rather broad principles to guide the process of writing it. Party leaders are expected to lay out these “standards for immigration reform” here at their annual retreat.

“These persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics, and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits),” according to a draft of the document.

The document also makes clear that the House will not negotiate with the Senate on its comprehensive immigration bill. In fact, GOP leadership has already begun laying out the differences between the House’s approach and the Senate’s bill

Continued at Link:

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/immigration-house-republicans-102884.html

[AlbertCat]

1. legalizing immigrants

Are these medical immigrants? Do I have to get a prescription and go to special distributors to get one?

[unblock]

2. prove that they can support themselves -- while it's currently illegal to hire undocumented workers?

[Kablooie]

33. That's a kink that needs to be worked out...

but if they are allowed to stay legally they should be people who can support their family.

[unblock]

35. no, it's a major problem, and shows that republicans either don't get it or don't want to get it.

say you're an undocumented worker. do you try to apply for citizenship under this new program, knowing that if the government decides you don't earn enough, then they deport you? if your employer decides to fire you, they deport you? if your employer decides that they don't want the government knowing that they hire undocumented workers, so they fire you, and then the government deports you?

[nobodyspecial]

37. if your employer decides to fire you, they deport you?

This is what they are after. Can you imagine how employers could explore this workers?

Just like abortion laws, they make sure that there are so many hoops and tests that nobody will qualify or have access.

[JDPriestly]

3. That's good news for Californians. Hoorah!

[LittleGirl]

4. so you can support themselves without

government assistance...I thought you had to show PROOF you were a citizen before you got a dime? What did I miss?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

14. Propaganda from the Right claiming Mexicans are coming over the border....

....to take siestas on the White Man's dime.



Do you know how much effort it's taken to get "hard working" associated with people who are Hispanic?

[LittleGirl]

17. my husband is an immigrant

and I'm very happy to see this immigration reform started. It's a freaking mess.

btw, he's a citizen now.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

31. My old Latino neighbor could trace his family back to when they voted for statehood in 1849.

[LittleGirl]

36. I am an amateur genealogist

and I've been trying to trace my heritage but the language is a problem. It's Italian and my spouse is British.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. Might be easier than my Irish/Crow/German/Scottish....

No drinking in my family...

[upaloopa]

21. You do not have to prove citizenship to get services.

Schools , county services, Medicaid are available to all
But like you and me, immigrants pay taxes that fund these also

[LittleGirl]

22. medicaid is okay in my book

I wonder what county services there are? Food stamps?
school is okay with me too.

I think the GOP thinks they get unemployment, social security etc which I know you can't get.

[upaloopa]

23. County services include fire protection, mental health, social services, medical clinics to name a f

few

[LittleGirl]

28. I see

I've been fortunate all my life and never needed them (in case of emergency either) truly blessed.

[upaloopa]

29. I work for a county government in CA

By law we have to serve all residents of the county. We do not ask for proof of citizenship. Prop 103 by Pete Wilson was supposed to make us ask for proof of citizenship. Because of 103 CA has a Dem government. It backfired on the repubs. Now we have a budget surplus and can offer more services to our residents.

[LittleGirl]

39. good to know

thanks for the info!

[Roland99]

5. Admit you're a criminal, then pay fines/back taxes that Wall St criminals don't have to?

sounds fair.

[frazzled]

6. Legal status is not the same as (a path to) citizenship

That will be the sticking point. Still, it's a good start for compromise: legal status would allow a generation of immigrants to remain in the country legally, and one would presume (I hope) that any children they have here in this country would gain automatic citizenship.

Oh, I just read the House won't negotiate with the Senate. A-holes.

[okaawhatever]

9. I was wondering why they were doing this. A complete about face from before. I think it may be that

their bill will be so reprehensible no one in the Senate will agree and then they will blame the Senate for not passing it. I know they don't suddenly care about immigrants.

[Fred Sanders]

27. They are NOT offerring any actual legislation, just broad talking points, so this means little, AND

there is no pathway for citizenship.....so it is all just more delay tactics for the Mass Media to fawn over.

Not to mention the Senate has PASSED actual legislation, the House refuses to negotiate on it....the GOP wants THEIR own starting point, not one passed by actual lawmakers.

[okaawhatever]

30. Right. I think this is just a talking point for the Republicans. Like everything else, they'll put

this out there, do nothing and then use select quotes in campaign literature. They will tailor their pitch. For an immigration friendly crowd they'll show the headline that the GOP is ready to pass immigration. For the non-immigration crowd they'll say we never passed anything!! Talkin' out both sides of their mouth, as we say in the south.

[Kablooie]

34. They do allow citizenship for children who were brought here.

And permanent residence for the parents.

That actually sounds pretty reasonable.

[frazzled]

43. It's apparently not "green card" permanent residence

but a separate class of status. Separate but equal, I guess—that would be their style. Richard Trumka read them the riot act about it today.

[okaawhatever]

7. I think the GOP is doing this because they know that if they don't it will be an issue in 2014 and

will likely shortly after the election. It would be interesting to hear them make up a story as to why they all the sudden care.

[Grassy Knoll]

8. In Return You Must.....

Vote Republican on face deportation. "CON" Job.

[geek tragedy]

10. that's a serious backpedal on their part.

'rigorous background checks' on migrant farm workers without any papers? tee hee

[msanthrope]

11. These fuckers are sweating. nt

[QuestForSense]

12. More unhelpful legislation and a bottomless boondoggle for the least among us.

Nothing these guys come up with will be worth two shits, you can bet the rent.

[charlyvi]

13. They want credit for legalizing them, but don't want them to vote.

So, no path to citizenship. Bastards!

[pangaia]

26. Bingo !!

[Alamuti Lotus]

15. House GOP must've discovered a way to make even more money by exploiting these immigrants

I suspect that was the only hurdle to such proposals--'out of the goodness of their hearts' can be discounted for obvious reasons.

[another_liberal]

16. Only the ones with blue eyes . . .

Unless they're really cute, of course.

[frwrfpos]

18. rec

[Politicub]

19. Of course they would propose a separate-but-equal solution

It's in the GOP DNA.

To them, the immigrants have no value in their myopic worlds, other than doing menial labor.

This reminds me of a civil union. Sounds good on the surface, but it's not anything like a marriage.

[Glitterati]

20. Legalized slavery

Yep, that's what the Republicans want.

[DLnyc]

24. Legalization, even without citizenship, would be a great step forward.

Honestly, the 13-year path to citizenship in the Senate bill is not all that exciting, IMO. And legalization would allow millions of people living here now as an integral part of our society to finally stop living in fear of deportation. More importantly, a large number of people would no longer be subject to intimidation and mistreatment due to their lack of papers -- and the rest of us would no longer have our wages lowered (and rights abused) by the presence of a vulnerable, powerless group who can be forced to work for less and whose civil rights are routinely violated.

Of course, I will remain skeptical until the Republican power-freaks actually bring a bill to the floor. But I think this is a step forward, even without citizenship.

[starroute]

25. That "secure the borders" thing is a poison pill

If you google on the phrase, you find a lot of Republicans pushing the idea back last spent. Mostly they were calling for tens of billions of dollars to be spent on more border fences and more border patrol agents.

You can find one example at http://candicemiller.house.gov/press-release/rep-miller-strategy-secure-our-nations-borders-must-be-first-step-any-immigration

It calls for those and other measures, to be followed by a certification within five years that they had reduced unauthorized border crossings by 90%. In other words, we're to shell out those billions to government contractors first -- giving them the opportunity to polish their surveillance methods in the process -- and then maybe five years from now (if it works, which is no sure thing) we could start allowing undocumented immigrants to be allowed to stay after paying hefty fines.

Frankly, it sounds like the biggest boondoggle since Reagan's Star Wars program.

[Kablooie]

32. It does allow a path for citizenship people who grew up in the US.

If they were brought here as children and they will be allowed citizenship.
For the parents permanent residency will be available but not citizenship.

That actually sounds reasonable to me even though it was written by Republicans.

All the fines, and culpability stuff is extreme but I agree they should pass background checks and show they can support themselves here.

[freshwest]

40. When the GOP proposes to close the border to outsourcing capital and jobs, they can close them...

It's a moot point, as they never will do any such a thing.

The UE is standing by the principle that if money can cross borders so can people.

Time to favor the living and not just the bucks, you Pro-Life Liars.

[Xyzse]

41. Thing is, this is a way to say they have proposed a method of legalizing immigrants.

In this manner, they are able to campaign on this issue, without actually passing it.

They can easily gloss over the inconsistencies, since this is a feel good issue for them. Problem is, there are quite a few who would be deceived by this.

[okaawhatever]

42. Once again their bigotry will sabotage their efforts. They're underestimating the political awarenes

of Latino voters. Someone needs to tell the Republicans very few Latinos watch Fox news. To which they will reply, you mean them illegals have tv's?

[Nitram]

44. "if the nation's borders are certified as secure"

And how do we define "secure"? How do we actually completely secure the 7,500 miles of Canadian and Mexican borders, not to mention 95, 471 miles of coastline? It's obviously a poison pill.