Tuesday
Dec152009
House Democrats Unveil Immigration Reform Bill
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 5:11PM
By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and more than 20 like-minded House Democrats unveiled new legislation Tuesday to reform immigration. Under the new bill millions of illegal immigrant could legalize their status.
"We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis to be taken up by this Congress and this President," said Gutierrez. "The time for waiting is over. This bill will be presented before Congress recesses for the holidays so that there is no excuse for inaction in the New Year."
The bill, with full support of the Black, Hispanic, Asian and other progressive Congressional caucuses, proposes that illegal immigrants should have the right to register with the government, and after paying a $500 fine per adult, learning English and passing background checks, become eligible for a six-year visa and eventually a green card.
“Border security, that is a concern of all of ours,” Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.). “We need to know everyone that is in the United States today...Not have people living in shadows.”
Many critics see a rough road ahead for immigration reform legislation, particularly with the U.S. unemployment rate at 10 percent and mid-term elections approaching.
“We want to make sure American workers get the first crack at all American jobs,” Gutierrez said. “But we want to invite immigrants to come here, bring their money, bring their knowledge, bring their entrepreneurship. We’ll let them in as long as they come here and create jobs for Americans.”
President Barack Obama said in August that he is confident that Congress would pass legislation that would overhaul immigration. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are expected to introduce an immigration bill in the Senate by February of 2010.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and more than 20 like-minded House Democrats unveiled new legislation Tuesday to reform immigration. Under the new bill millions of illegal immigrant could legalize their status.
"We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis to be taken up by this Congress and this President," said Gutierrez. "The time for waiting is over. This bill will be presented before Congress recesses for the holidays so that there is no excuse for inaction in the New Year."
The bill, with full support of the Black, Hispanic, Asian and other progressive Congressional caucuses, proposes that illegal immigrants should have the right to register with the government, and after paying a $500 fine per adult, learning English and passing background checks, become eligible for a six-year visa and eventually a green card.
“Border security, that is a concern of all of ours,” Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.). “We need to know everyone that is in the United States today...Not have people living in shadows.”
Many critics see a rough road ahead for immigration reform legislation, particularly with the U.S. unemployment rate at 10 percent and mid-term elections approaching.
“We want to make sure American workers get the first crack at all American jobs,” Gutierrez said. “But we want to invite immigrants to come here, bring their money, bring their knowledge, bring their entrepreneurship. We’ll let them in as long as they come here and create jobs for Americans.”
President Barack Obama said in August that he is confident that Congress would pass legislation that would overhaul immigration. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are expected to introduce an immigration bill in the Senate by February of 2010.
Reader Comments (12)
Here we go again! We told them before we DO NOT want amnesty for these illegal aliens! Now we have 16 million Americans out of work that could be doing the jobs the illegal aliens are doing. ENFORCE THE LAW! Get these illegal aliens back with their families in the Country where they belong! NO AMNESTY!
Have the Democrats lost their minds??
18% of citizens can not find full timejobs and the only people in this country that they are working for are the illegal immigrants.
For 30 years I have been a Democrat but no more!!! I can not wait to show them how we feel in the next 2 elections.
NO #$@#^%& AMNESTY AND HOW ABOUT ENFORCING OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS!!
I think that they should pass this bill because what if you lived in some other country and were a immigrant there its the same thing here!
I fully support immigration reform and I hope it will be passed in 2010. The loud minority whom were against it last time will NOT prevail this time around. GO IMMIGRATION REFORM GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Watch out for Delaware Bob and Britanicus on the immigration forums: the typical angry old white single males, blaming their failures in life on "the other". Too bad these creatures are on the wrong side of both history and demographics. Make no mistake about it: a comprehensive immigration reform is the just and humane thing to do and it is a matter of when, not if. While at it, Congress is strongly urged to deport back to pre-Civil War America disgusting creatures such as Senators Sessions (Alabama), Vitter (Louisiana, the Christian guy who bought all the prostitutes), and DeMint (South Carolina). Talk about the South, good'ole boys, and walking stereotypes...
Have you ever cleaned toilets, washed dishes, or worked in the field picking fruits and vegetables so you can have them on your table everyday and have a clean house every weekend. I bet that you have not even thought to work in this kind of jobs and you never will.
You said right...Here we go again!!! However this time is different! It will be no "again" @ the end of this segment! It will be done! The jobs they are doing such as landscaping, restaurant cleaners, farming...no american wants to do! Let's cut with the antagonism, lets cut all the bs and hypocrisy, as they are here busting their ass and working like slaves for you and me! Yes Go Immigration Reform Go! We are all equals under the sun!
I am pretty sure those Wall Street bankers will go to work at construction sites and pick strawberries or moan loans once we deport 12 million people the deportation of which will require about $500 billion which we will have to borrow from Chinese. Get realistic, people, these people aren't going anythere and we need them as they need us.
immigration reform is moral and morality eventually beats out racism every time. It just sucks we have to wait so long
This idea that people who don't speak English and that have no papers are taking great high paying union jobs from English speaking Americans is stupid. If you speak English and have a drivers license you are miles ahead of most immigrants
Non-English speaking immigrants are working minimum wage jobs some in bad conditions
Americans don't want minimum wage jobs at burger joints or in the fields (In California there is plenty of work in the fields). The people that are unemployed are so because of the layoffs in union auto jobs and all those broke banks.
Americans can't expect high paying unskilled jobs when people in China and India are doing those skilled jobs for much less
Read the part of the bill that talks about backround checks for the illegal aliens. Guess what, only felonies will stop them from getting amnesty. That means we will give amnesty to illegal aliens with multiple drunk driving convictions and domestic battery convictions among other serious crimes that are not considered felonies. Hmm, I wonder who gets to pay for the english classess they have to take?
If Internet blogger's, the national and rural newspaper comments, forums or bulletin boards, are a national grading of passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform--FORGET IT! IT JUST ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN! I follow the commentaries very carefully and my observation show a very negative response to any new law that indicates giving the 20 to 30 million illegal immigrants a more or less free passport to the road of citizenship. Under normal circumstances it would be an impossibility to pass any AMNESTY? But when the headlines scream that 15 million irate Americans and legal residents cannot find employment, the chances of giving another AMNESTY, is impossible--and absolutely, incredulous that they would even try? Advancing this insane reform law under the noses of middle class Americans is going to be a expiration of Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Speaker Pelosi, Napolitano and a whole mis-match of Democrats who are thinking they will be re-elected. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) champion of his government in Mexico and throughout Central and South America will--NOT--survive his incumbent election. No tourist or student overstays are equally unwelcome in this nation of laws. CALL ALL YOUR SENATORS AND EVEN CONGRESSMEN/ WOMEN. NOW and urge them--NOT--to support COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM. IT'S NOT NEEDED? THE ! THE 1986 IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL WAS NEVER, EVER ENFORCED. The Capitol Switchboard's telephone number is 202-224-3121. REMEMBER TO SEND IN YOUR 28Cent POSTCARDS NOW! WE MUST DEFEAT THIS IMMIGRATION REFORM PACKAGE.
There must be heavy consequences to illegally settling here, such as upgrading the unauthorized entry to a felony. In the future we must have an orderly immigration recruitment system, but only for people with highly skilled qualifications. Guest Workers must be equally vetted and not just given permission without strict--return instructions home, after completing their contract. No family reunification, because this has been rife with fraud as sponsors end up reneging on the financial aspect. All this issues can easily be resolved with amendment to the 1986 immigration bill. What to do with 20 to 30 million illegal aliens from across the world, slowly repatriate them using the SAVE ACT. We are unable to afford the costs attributed to illegal immigration. Learning in the Sanctuary State of California has collapsed from the massive surge of illegal foreign nationals into the school system.
Observe CNN TV documentary this week, "California in Crisis" The state may still implode under the huge burden of supporting financially the illegal aliens with large families. Unrevealed billions of dollars are skimmed from state treasuries, to pay for the immigrants that cannot sustain themselves around this nation. The demented politicians in Sacramento are already talking about raising taxes. No state remains untouched by the unparalleled invasion of this great sovereign country.Understand the immigration enforcement gradings of your politicians at NUMBERSUSA. Understand how taxpayers have been taken for a ride for decades and the unrevealed costs to you. See what JUDICIAL WATCH has to say about CORRUPTION in WASHINGTON. IF AMNESTY PASSES WE ARE JUST A SHORT INTERLUDE FROM OVERPOPULATION AND A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY EXISTENCE.
To all the ignorant people that commented against the direction to an immigration reform, did you seriously forget what this country is actually made of?! If you are ignorant and pathetic enough not to realize, I'll answer for you, Immigrants, hello!!! Where do all of you think came from and why do you all think our ancestors came here? To get away from a horrific/corrupt/financially unstable place and get a fresh start in a new & safer world. Some have it to easy and have no idea where they came from or how hard their ancestors had to work to get where some of us are now. There is no such thing as overpopulating, we can fit another 300 million people in this country without being overcrowded. Immigrants these days don't come here because they want to, don't you think they'd rather be with their families and in the country they were born, rather than coming here and working like dogs?! Some/Most don't have a choice, they come here for a better life, for survival, for safety, you really think they actually want to sacrifice everything and leave their culture behind to come here just for the heck of it?! NO! Most immigrants come here because they have no food to give to their children or are afraid for their lives or whatever else is going on in their countries. How many rich/stable immigrants actually move to the US? Very few! Also, these people aren't taking our jobs, we brought that upon ourselves because we are greedy people and enough is never enough, this is why so many people go bankrupt and blame the economy. First generation immigrants living in this country are doing low-paying hard-labor jobs that most of us wouldn't even want to consider. The government isn't supporting illegal immigrants because they aren't even able to qualify for any help, if they are illegal they have no SS or such so what makes you think government would just go and search for every single illegal immigrant and offer them help. But, its okay to offer help to healthy lazy people that drown themselves in deep debt and expect the government to pay for it. Ohh and it's okay for millions of americans to drink and drive and continue living normally but it isn't alright for immigrants. WAKE UP, they are all people just like the rest of us in need of stability, if some of you actually experienced they way most of these people lived before they arrived here you would have a little more sympathy. And all those jobs that you think they are taking from us, think again, Capitalism runs this country people, all the big corporations run this country and get what they want, run smaller business out of business because they keep getting all their goods and services imported into this country. We barely if any export anything anymore, everything you buy or use comes from somewhere else in the world. These corporations keep moving their headquarters out of the US making their products elsewhere for so much cheaper than they would here and then bring them into the US for us to buy. Look at everything you own, where is it made? Not in the US! Also did you know that any educated immigrant such as doctors/teachers/scientists etc. have to get re-certified all over again here to be able to do the job they were already certified for in their country. Also, did you know that any international/foreign student studying in the US pays 3 times more for tuition! I think this plan would help a lot of innocent, hard-working, people in need of a better life and better opportunities. Lets keep America the way it was created, stop diluting it with pathetic/immoral stupidity, think of where you came from way back in generations.