The 2 senators today released their plan to mend immigration in the Washington Post.  The announcement was praised by the President in this statement.  The Post article, authored by both senators, agrees that:

1. the system is broken
2. although our borders are more secure, there are still millions that enter the USA illegally with no way of tracking if they leave when their visas expire
3. employers are overburdened with a complex employment verification system for their workers
4. Most Americans oppose illegal immigration and support legal immigration

They further discuss continuing to hold employers accountable for the employment verification of their workforce and implementing a tamper proof ID system to decrease illegal immigration.

This is what Schumer and Graham propose and seek support on:

1. To introduce a biometric social security card to ensure that illegals cannot get jobs where each card would have its own unique identifier on the card and not in government databases.  Employers would swipe the card to confirm a person’s identify
2. Strengthen border and interior enforcement
3. Create a process for admitting temporary workers and allowing more lower skilled immigrants to come to the USA when the  economy is creating jobs and fewer in a recession.  Will also permit those who have put down roots in the USA  and succeeded in the workplace to obtain a green-card
4. Implement a path to legalization for those already here
5. Zero tolerance on gang members, felons, smugglers and terrorists and increase internal enforcement to apprehend and deport them
6. Complete an entry-exit system that tracks those that enter the USA on visas and report those who overstay to law enforcement databases
7. Increase the border patrol

The article closes with the following:

“For the 11 million immigrants already in this country illegally, we would provide a tough but fair path forward. They would be required to admit they broke the law and to pay their debt to society by performing community service and paying fines and back taxes. These people would be required to pass background checks and be proficient in English before going to the back of the line of prospective immigrants to earn the opportunity to work toward lawful permanent residence.

The American people deserve more than empty rhetoric and impractical calls for mass deportation. We urge the public and our colleagues to join our bipartisan efforts in enacting these reforms.”

We will continue to keep you informed and will report in more detail on the immigration plan in our April newsletter.

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