Democrat lawmaker Luis Gutierrez (D-ILL) and the Hispanic caucus have decided the cost for those who entered the country illegally and have broken untold laws since their arrival will pay $500 to get their citizenship. This is quite the deal as it costs many illegal immigrants $4,000 to $5,000 in coyote (human smugglers) fees to make the often treacherous walk through the country's southern borders.
The immigration bill aptly named, “Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act (H.R. 4321)” Gutierrez’s claimed he was responsible for the acronym “CIR ASAP” and hoped it would spur other lawmakers to quickly pass immigration reform legislation.
This week the Illinois Congressman announced his wish list for the illegal immigrant population, which calls for amnesty and relaxing verification tools. “This is what we want; our proposal is out of the box,” he said.
However the authors of the bill will face an uphill battle in the Senate, many of whom have already said the bill is dead on arrival. Making this even more difficult is the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who threatened all lawmakers, the House will not take the lead in any new legislation next year. Pelosi explained in a news conference that Congress has taken the leading role all year and many Congressmen could lose their seats because they were forced to support her on a number of unpopular issues.
Although the Democrats have the numbers to easily pass immigration reform, a down economy and double-digit unemployment threatens passage of a bill, especially one as liberal as this.
Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA), who is on the House Immigration Reform Caucus, said the reform legislation would generate a new wave of migrants to compete with Americans currently seeking employment.
The "CIR ASAP" bill lays out the need for illegal immigrants to prove they are working, pay a $500 fine, learn English and pass a criminal background check. However, the bill didn’t include the “touchback” provision which would force all seeking amnesty to return to their home country and enter into the country legally.
“Not to be picky on the back ground checks, but if someone crosses into this country illegally and is working illegally (often with forged paperwork) wouldn’t they be considered criminals?” Steve Jones a lifelong California resident would like the President to explain how this would work. “I know if I used forged paperwork I’d go to jail and have charges on my permanent record for life.”
Details, details details.
Another point of contention is the fact country's international borders remain as porous as ever causing a lot of concern from border state law enforcement officers. Sheriff Sigi Gonzalez of Texas states his county cannot take anymore immigrants. “There’s simply no money or services left, we’re broke.”
Couple that with the fact that this bill calls for the dismantling of E-Verify. This effective system is able to obtain legal status of potential workers who are put through the computer with a 96 percent accuracy rate. Employers enjoy free access to E-Verify and are able to ensure their employees meet federal guidelines regarding legal status.
Other highlights in the bill include AgJOBS amnesty (farm workers) as well as the DREAM Act with grants automatic amnesty to those who graduated U.S. high schools and wish to attend college. This should be of particular concern to parents who are already struggling to pay college increasing tuition fees, as this bill will add much more competition to the federal grants and scholarship programs.
The bill reads like a child’s Christmas wish and judging by the up tick in tea party organizers, anti-amnesty activists and concerned American citizens the "CIR ASAP" legislation may get nothing more than coal in its stocking next year.
