| Immigration Reform The Bush Administration On January 7, 2004, President Bush revived a long-dormant proposal to reform US immigration law. He has proposed a temporary worker program "to match willing foreign workers with willing U.S. employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs." The program would be open to unauthorized immigrants currently working in the United States, and to new foreign workers. . The program would be open to all sectors of employment. As proposed, visas would be available for a 3-year period and be renewable, but workers would be required to return to their country of origin once their period of work has concluded. Temporary workers would be eligible to apply for permanent status if they qualify under the current system. Approximately 8 million unauthorized immigrants currently reside in the United States and could be affected by this proposal. Congressional Proposals The Immigration Reform Act of 2004: Strengthening America's National Security, Economy, and Families, S. 2010. On January 21, Senators Hagel and Daschle introduced legislation that funds increased border security and criminal and background checks on visa applications; increases visas for family reunification and addresses processing backlogs; tracks foreign workers in the US; and penalizes those who continue to break immigration laws. Undocumented workers and their families in the U.S. can apply if they pass national security and background checks; have 5 years residence in the U.S., have worked 4 years in the U.S.; have paid federal taxes; demonstrate knowledge of English and civics; and pay a $1000 fine. The Unity, Security, Accountability and Family Act (USA Family Act), H.R. 440. Representatives Pelosi, Menendez, and Gutierrez unveiled their bill on January 28, 2004. The legislation proposes to legalize undocumented immigrants who have resided in the US for at least 5 years, and to provide conditional legalization for immigrants who have resided in the US for less than 5 years. The applicant's immediate family are eligible for the same relief (permanent or conditional status). It also eliminates the 3-year waiting period for spouses and children of permanent residents temporarily waiting for visa numbers (the V visa). The bill has 21 cosponsors. Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act, H.R. 2899 (sponsored by Congressmen Kolbe with 7 cosponsors) and S.1461 (sponsored by Senator McCain with 1 cosponsor). These bills would establish new visa programs for unauthorized immigrants residing in the United States and for those seeking to enter the United States as temporary workers (new nonimmigrant visas H-4A and H-4B). Border Security and Immigration Reform Act, S.1387 (introduced by Senator Cornyn). The bill would establish a guest worker program for seasonal and nonseasonal work (a new nonimmigrant W-1 and W-2 visa, respectively.) Temporary workers with 3 years in the program could adjust to permanent resident status. Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003 (the AgJobs bill), H.R. 3142 (introduced by Congressman Cannon with 80 cosponsors) and S.1645 (introduced by Senator Craig with 49 cosponsors). These bills would allow certain unauthorized agricultural workers to adjust to lawfully admitted temporary nonimmigrant and permanent resident nonimmigrant. Resources The Urban Institute Undocumented Immigrants: Facts and Figures (http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=1000587), just released by the nonpartisan Urban Institute's Immigration Studies Program, pulls together key information for analyzing and understanding this front-page topic. (January 12, 2004). For more Urban Institute research on immigration go to http://urban.org/r/immigration.cfm. Federal Government White House Fact Sheet: Fair and Secure Immigration Reform http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040107-1.html President Bush's Remarks announcing the new temporary worker program: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040107-3.html Congressional bills: http://thomas.loc.gov US Citizenship and Immigration Services website: http://uscis.gov "Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: 1990-2000" (January 2003) provides a chart of the unauthorized immigrant population by state of residence and country of origin. http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/aboutus/statistics/Ill_Report_1211.pdf Prepared by Ann Morse
Program Director, Immigrant Policy Project
January 29, 2004 |