A happy-medium compromise to the immigration mess
February 11, 2008

I am an immigration attorney with almost 15 years of experience, and as such, I propose the following immigration reform in an attempt to provide a "happy medium" for all: Allow the millions of undocumented individuals who have no criminal record to get a yearly employment authorization document, as well as a yearly travel permit.

The work permit will allow these individuals to legally work here so long as they do not have a criminal record and they can prove that they have a bona fide job offer. Based on this, they will be able to acquire an "Alien Social Security Number" that would allow them to pay taxes and contribute to their "Alien Social Security Fund." The worker would have to renew his/her work permit yearly, attaching a tax return to the renewal application as proof of prior employment. They cannot adjust or change "status" in the United States while holding this work permit. That is, even if a temporary worker were to marry a U.S. citizen, he or she would have to apply to receive permanent residence status.

The "Alien Social Security Fund" would be set up for two reasons: to ensure that these temporary workers will not consume Social Security funds, and to give them back a portion of their contribution upon their final exit from the United States as an incentive to leave the country.

The travel permit would allow them to leave and come back to resume their work.

The reason for this travel permit is because under this temporary stay, temporary workers will not be allowed to bring their families here. In the interest of family, this permit would allow the temporary immigrant to visit his/her family abroad as many times as he or she wants.

In my opinion, no individual desires to be an immigrant. These individuals come to the United States seeking means to support their families abroad or looking for a way to build some kind of nest egg.

It is very difficult to enter the United States, and many die along the way. Once they enter, they do not leave. Their families usually follow, risking their lives as well, and if they make it, they become extreme burdens to our infrastructure.

This temporary worker program would allow the United States to fulfill our urgent demand for unskilled labor, without posing a burden on our infrastructure. It would also allow these individuals to work with dignity, without being scared of being deported for working or caught driving without a license, or imposing huge fines on our U.S. employers trying to operate their businesses. While this immigration proposal is not a path to U.S. citizenship, it is a path for a better economic future for America and a more humane option for the millions of immigrants who are already a part of our system. Let's place this proposal on the ballot!

Elizabeth C. Pines is an attorney in Miami.
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