Comparing House GOP immigration plan, ‘Gang of Eight’ bill
Comparing House GOP immigration plan, ‘Gang of Eight’ bill
By Rebekah L. SandersThe Republic | azcentral.comThu Jan 30, 2014 11:09 PM
House Republicans’ guidelines have yet to be crafted into legislation but here’s how they compare generally with the sweeping immigration-reform bill passed by the Senate in June.
Border Security
Senate: Security on the U.S.-Mexico border would significantly increase. The government would spend $30 billion to double the size of the Border Patrol and add Customs and Border Patrol officers at ports of entry.
An additional $8 billion would be spent on drones, helicopters and surveillance technology. The length of the border fence would double.
House: U.S. borders would be verified as secure and there would be a “zero-tolerance policy” for people who cross the border illegally or overstay their visas. The president would not be able to unilaterally stop immigration enforcement, presumably by executive order.
Entry-Exit System
Senate: Customs agents at airports would begin fingerprinting all foreigners leaving the country to catch people who stay after their visas have expired.
House: A biometric entry-exit system would be set up to check immigrant visas, verify identity and prevent fraud.
E-Verify
Senate: The federal E-Verify program would be expanded, requiring all U.S. employers within five years to use it to check the eligibility status of all new hires.
House: Workplace employment verification would take place electronically instead of by paper.
Work visas
Senate: Temporary-work visas for foreigners trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics would be increased. And a new class of temporary visas would be created for low-skilled workers in the hospitality, retail, construction and medical industries. Farm workers after two years would be eligible for legal residency under a “blue card” system, whether or not they entered the U.S. illegally. They would be required to pay taxes and begin learning English. In 10 years, they could earn citizenship.
House: Visa and green-card allocations would be increased for high-skilled workers based on employer needs.
A temporary-worker program would allow mainly agricultural workers to come to the U.S. and fill the needs of businesses without displacing or disadvantaging American workers.
Young immigrants
Senate: Immigrants who entered the country illegally before turning 16 could apply for registered provisional immigrant status if they had a high school diploma or GED. Five years after achieving that status, they could apply for a green card if they completed two years of college or four years of military service and passed a naturalization test. Children younger than 16 would be allowed a five-year path to citizenship.
House: Young people brought to the country illegally by their parents would be given the opportunity for legal residence and citizenship if they served in the military or earned a college degree.
Entered (or stayed) illegally
Senate: The estimated 11 million people who entered the United States illegally or overstayed their legal visits before Dec. 31, 2011, would be offered a 13-year path to citizenship. They would have to meet other eligibility criteria (such as no felony convictions), pay a $500 fine, pass a background check, submit biometric data and pay application fees. Most would be required to study English.
Applicants would have to pay a second round of fines and fees after six years and prove they had been employed or had resources that put them above the federal poverty line. After 10 years, people could apply for legal permanent residence by paying another $1,000 fine, additional fees, passing a second background check and showing either consistent employment or resources equivalent to at least 125 percent of the federal poverty line. After three years, they could apply for citizenship.
House: Illegal immigrants in the U.S. would not receive a special path to citizenship. But they could live legally in the U.S. if they admitted their culpability, passed background checks, paid significant fines and back taxes, developed proficiency in English and American civics and were able to support themselves and their families without access to public benefits. Criminals and those that failed to pass those measures would not be eligible. Legalization would not occur until immigration-enforcement benchmarks were met.
Application backlog
Senate: A backlog of about 4.4 million people awaiting green cards would have to be cleared before anyone illegally in the U.S. could gain legal permanent residence.
House: Did not address issue.
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