Jun 3, 4:16 AM EDT


Arizona congressman working on immigration issues



TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Armed with bipartisan support, an Arizona congressman is moving ahead with legislation that could solve a series of illegal immigration issues.

Rep. Raul Grijalva said the measures will be introduced soon and would provide expedited citizenship for active duty military members who are not U.S. citizens, and permanent resident status for their families.

House Resolution 6020 would help some of the more than 45,000 noncitizens serving in the U.S. military as of March 2007, said Grijalva, a southern Arizona Democrat.

"Some families fear immediate deportation if their noncitizen soldier is killed on active duty," he said.

The bill would permit family members of such soldiers to become lawful permanent residents.

A second bill calls for basic health care for detained immigrants.

House Resolution 5950 would set medical care standards for immigrant detainees.

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Health Services would be required to establish procedures for the timely and effective delivery of health care to detainees and to report the deaths of detainees to the agency and Congress. It would require any necessary medications be provided upon detention.

Grijalva may not he done yet. The congressman said he is considering co-sponsoring two more immigration bills that have bipartisan support.

One eliminates the per country limits on foreign workers who can obtain employment-based visas to work in the United States.

The second would allow about 12,000 masters or doctorate-level graduates of U.S. colleges each year who are noncitizens to obtain green cards to work in science, technology, engineering and math.

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Information from: Tucson Citizen, http://www.tucsoncitizen.com


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