Comprehensive (not just piecemeal) immigration reform will define the new American century.
On June 27, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration overhaul, 68-32. Now, the U.S. House must act.
The reform components in the Senate bill dovetail with the public interest. This includes an incremental path to citizenship that takes up to 13 years. Farm workers and Dream Act students will have a manageable waiting period. And those with registered-provisional immigrant status can emerge from the shadows and work in the United States without threat of deportation.
Lawmakers still need to harmonize the issuing of H1B visas to draw technical talent and the H2A agriculture workers who compete with naturalized citizens.
A huge investment in border security ($30 billion is too much) is matched with mandatory use-of-force rules. For Washington, this includes limiting the area for warrantless searches to 25 miles of the Canadian border. And border agents will no longer monitor schools, churches and community centers, as they do now, trolling for undocumented workers.
The status quo elevates fear of reporting crime, of getting medical help for a child, of worshiping on Sundays.
On Friday, Reps. Rick Larsen and Suzan DelBene convened an immigration round table in Everett and Skagit County with farmers, students, and business leaders. Reps. Mike Sells and John McCoy also participated.
Read the full article HERE.
