What's Next
on Capitol Hill?
By Jeanne A. Butterfield
Washington, DC
Editor's Note: No actual immigration
reforms have been turned into law; the Senate
and the Lower House must now reach a compromise.
Here lie possible pitfalls, writes Jeanne Butterfield,
executive director of the American Immigration
Lawyers Association in Washington, DC
What happens next now that the Senate
has passed a comprehensive immigration reform
bill?
No actual changes to our nation's immigration
laws have yet been made. It is important to understand
this. Neither the positive Senate bill (S. 2611),
nor the harsh House bill (H.R. 4437), will become
law, unless and until the differences between
the two bills are hammered out and a final, unified
bill is signed by President Bush.
There are many challenges and potential pitfalls
that lie ahead before any new immigration legislation
can become law. Congress must complete action,
and the President must sign any new bill by the
end of December 2006 in order for any new law
to take effect.
The Senate bill contains several historic and
broad legalization programs that could bring unprecedented
relief to millions of deserving immigrants if
it prevails in negotiations with the House. The
Senate bill includes:
--AgJobs, providing a path to permanent status
for 1.5 million seasonal agricultural workers
--The DREAM Act, providing a path to permanent
legal status for hundreds of thousands of eligible
undocumented high school graduates
--A new "break the mold" temporary worker
program for 200,000 new temporary workers per
year with significant labor protections including
portability, a path to permanent residence and
the ability to self-petition
--A path to legalization for at least 9 million
currently undocumented workers and their families
--A large increase in family-based immigrant visa
numbers
--A large increase in employment-based immigrant
visa numbers
--Significant reforms in current high-skilled
immigration programs.
The Senate bill went through extended Judiciary
Committee markup and extensive negotiations and
revisions during Senate floor debate. It was further
changed on the Senate floor where more than 40
amendments were debated and either adopted or
rejected. Just before final passage, an extensive
"manager's amendment" was adopted. Through
this entire process, several potentially damaging
parts of the legislation were fixed while some
onerous provisions were added.
The Senate bill will continue to
be a "work in progress" if and when
it goes forward to conference negotiations with
the House bill. It is important that additional
positive changes be made in the bill, and that
the basic substance and architecture of the Senate's
comprehensive approach be preserved through any
conference negotiations that may occur.
Those who oppose comprehensive immigration reform
are making their voices heard as they loudly condemn
the Senate's action. In a recent campaign, anti-immigrant
groups have begun sending "bricks" to
Congress, with a message that says "use this
brick to build a wall along our borders."
These restrictionists are loud, but they are not
the majority of the US population.
In poll after poll, the vast majority of Americans,
75 percent or more, agree that immigrants who
are living in the United States, working hard
and paying taxes, and caring for their families,
should be allowed to apply for legal status. These
are the voices that Congress must heed as it debates
in the coming weeks and months what immigration
policies to adopt.
The U.S. public, and immigrant communities themselves,
all want the same thing: secure borders and a
safe and orderly legal immigration system that
rewards work, reunites families, protects refugees
and keeps America strong in its diversity for
the decades to come. - New America Media Commentary
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