http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/ho ... 016378.php

Friday, February 24, 2006
Sen. Specter lays out immigration reform plan
Judiciary panel chair's idea includes guest-worker visa.

By DENA BUNIS
The Orange County Register

WASHINGTON – Judiciary Committee Chairmen Arlen Specter this morning has laid down his own marker for comprehensive immigration reform that combines enhanced enforcement with a temporary guest-worker program as well as an opportunity for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants here now to come out of the shadows and work legally.

Specter's bill – which combines elements from several other immigration proposals – sets the scene for what is likely to be a protracted and contentious debate, first in the Senate and then with the House, which passed a bill in December that does not include any new guest-worker provisions and would not allow illegal immigrants to work here legally. The Judiciary Committee will begin reviewing the proposal Thursday.

The measure responds to President Bush's call for immigration reform that includes tough enforcement measures at the borders and interior sections of the country and the ability of the business community to get the labor officials say the economy needs. And it runs counter to a wing of the Republican party – mostly in the House – who say such provisions amount to an amnesty and would reward those who illegally entered this country or overstayed their visas.

The 350-page bill, obtained this morning by the Register, includes:

• Additional enforcement agents, increased technology at the border, a requirement for the Department of Homeland Security to submit plans for systematic surveillance of land and sea borders, as well as a national strategy for border security. It requires DHS to report to Congress on whether a fencing system along the northern, southern and maritime borders of the U.S. is necessary. It tightens laws regarding deportation, increases penalties for document fraud, particularly as it relates to marriage fraud.

• A new workplace enforcement program, including a measure authored by Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, that would require employers to check the Social Security numbers of new hires against a federal data base. Unlike the bill passed by the House, most employers would have to check only new workers, although the homeland security secretary could require workplaces with potential homeland or national security concerns to also check the status of current employees. The employer plan would be phased in over five years.

• Creates a new temporary worker visa – H-2C. Residents of foreign countries who can show they have a job waiting can get this visa for three years, renewable for another three years. These workers would be required to return to their home countries after their work visas expire.

• Creates a new student visa category – F-4. This would allow students pursuing advanced degrees in math, engineering, technology or the physical sciences to stay in the United States for a year after they graduate to look for work. If they get a job, they would be allowed to get a green card after paying a $1,000 fee and passing security clearances.

• Increases the number of employment-based green cards from 140,000 to 290,000.

• Increases the number of visas available for unskilled workers.

• Creates a new conditional work authorization status. This would allow illegal immigrants who can prove they were here and working in the United States before Jan. 4, 2004, to pay a $500 fee, undergo background checks, pay any income taxes owed for work before Jan. 4, 2004, and get a conditional work status. Illegal immigrants who have been ordered deported would not be eligible for this status.