Debate Rages to Make Immigration Deal a Reality
Before issuing worker visas, lawmakers want U.S. borders secured.
May 18, 2007 — -- For the illegal immigrants already in the United States, the immigration deal reached by the Senate Thursday, if implemented, would be historic.
"The people who will get to participate in this program will get a chance to be American on our terms, not theirs," said Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C.
These are "our" terms: The roughly 12 million illegal immigrants who entered the United States before Jan. 1, 2007, would be issued a Z visa, which would allow them to live and work in the country legally.
To keep that status, they would each have to pay a $5,000 fine over eight years, and the heads of households would have to return to their home countries to obtain another visa stamp. Re-entry would be guaranteed.
Thursday, President Bush declared that illegal immigrants wouldn't be granted blanket amnesty.
"People who live here in our country will be treated without amnesty but without animosity," he said.
In addition, 400,000 temporary worker visas would be issued, but none of this would proceed until an effort to tighten the border had begun, including 370 miles of additional fencing along the Mexican border, as well as the hiring of 18,000 additional border security agents.
"We must secure our borders, enforce our law, reunite our families, have a path to legalization for people who are undocumented to work in the United States," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. "And we have to protect American workers."
