Immigration in the US

Alexandra Golikov

What Does Broken Immigration

System Mean to You?
Does it mean.
America does not admit enough immigrants
legally and quickly?
America is letting over 11 million
undocumented people overstay their visas
or cross the border without inspection and
work unchallenged for many years?
Americas current immigration law is cruel
in that it divides families by deporting
undocumented immigrants?

Immigration Reform in this term

S. 744: The Comprehensive

Immigration Reform Bill of 2013

Border Security: securing the borders with 100% of the Mexican border and requiring employers
to verify their workers legal status

Path to Citizenship: The 11 million people living in the US illegally could obtain "registered
provisional immigrant status with a fee of $500, so long as they didnt have any misdemeanors and
so long as they arrived in the US before 2011. These people would not be able to receive benefits
like welfare and health care. After 10 years provisional status= Green card and lawful residency for
$1000, English fluency, and good tax record

High-Skilled Workers: The cap on the H-1B visa program for high-skilled workers would be
immediately raised from 65,000 a year to 110,000 a year, with 25,000 more set aside for people
with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or math from a U.S. school. The cap
could go as high as 180,000 a year depending on demand.

Low-Skilled Workers: A new W visa would allow up to 200,000 low-skilled workers a year into the
country for jobs in construction, long-term care, hospitality and other industries. A new agriculture
worker visa program would be established to replace the existing program. Agriculture workers
already here illegally, who've worked in the industry at least two years, could qualify in another five
years for green cards if they stay in the industry.

Family Immigration: The bill would bar citizens from sponsoring their siblings and would allow
them to sponsor married sons and daughters only if those children are under age 31. Legal
permanent residents can currently sponsor spouses and children, but the numbers are limited. The
bill eliminates that limit.

Employment Verification: Within four years, all employers must implement E-Verify, a program to
verify electronically their workers' legal status. As part of that, noncitizens would be required to

Result?
The Senate passed the bill with
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, 68 to 32.

What Happened Next?

The Republican-led House of Representatives failed to pass
immigration legislation.

Senate Passed Immigration Legislation, The

House did not. Next Step? Executive Action.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news
/wonkblog/wp/2014/11/19/your-compl
ete-guide-to-obamas-immigration-or
der/#order

What willObama's executive

actiondo?
The executive action willhave two key components:
Itwould offer a legal reprieve to the undocumented parents of U.S.
citizens and permanent residents who've resided in the country for at least
five years. This would remove the constantthreat of deportation. Many
could also receive work permits.
It would expand the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
program that allowed young immigrants, under 30 years old, who arrived
as children to apply for a deportation deferral and who are now here
legally. Immigrants older than 30 now qualify, as domore recent arrivals.
People in both groups will have to reapply every three years.The
executive action will also include:
Aprogram to facilitate visas for people who invest in the United States
and those who pursue science, technology, engineering and math degrees
Modifying federal immigrant detention procedures
Adding resources to strengthen security at the border

What WONT Obamas executive

action do?
Extendprotections to hundreds of thousands of parents
of young immigrants who participated in the DACA
program -- a group totaling671,000 people.
Expand visas for migrant farm workers. According to The
Times, "farm workers, for example, will not be singled
out for protections because of concerns that it was
difficult to justify legally treating them differently from
undocumented workers in other jobs, like hotel clerks,
day laborers and construction workers."
Expandthe existing H-1B visa program for highly skilled
foreigners
Offer access to the Affordable Care Act for newly
protected immigrants.