Thread: A Guide to Immigration Laws, Bills and Proposals

Explainer: A Guide to Immigration Laws, Bills and Proposals

Thursday, April 21, 2011
By Sarah P. Reynolds

It's A Free Country

As immigration reform legislation moves in and out of Congress, the public pushes for everything from tighter enforcement and border security to comprehensive reform and amnesty. Some measures make it through the gauntlet, but not before a good chewing by Congress and the public. Many fail outright, and some are debated over and over again, amended and re-introduced.

The legislative bills and proposals run the gamut, but one thing they almost always do is incite controversy. One bill allows local police to enforce immigration laws, some proposals push for tighter border security, one would implement a path to citizenship for immigrant minors, one would provide a temporary residential visa for long time immigrant farmworkers, and another creates a database for law enforcement to track down undocumented immigrants convicted of a crime.

Here's a guide to some of the legislation that's been up for discussion:

DREAM Act

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, best known as the DREAM Act, was first introduced in the U.S. Senate in August of 2001, though it has been introduced within other immigration bills and under different names.

The Act would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrant minors who were brought to the U.S. by their parents before age 16, providing they attend a two year community college or have completed at least two years towards a four-year degree.

The DREAM Act has been introduced in several forms over the past ten years and has also been called “The American Dream Act.â€

excellent find.
there is alot of information here. including Uniting American Families Act that most americans see as a form of not deporting criminals