There is a chorus of reactions to the preliminary version of a comprehensive immigration bill set to be considered before the Senate takes a weeklong break for Memorial Day.
Debate in the Senate opened May 21 even before the legislation designed by a bipartisan negotiating team was turned into bill form and introduced. A vote on the bill could be taken as soon as May 24, or debate could extend into June.
Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of San Bernardino, Calif., chairman of the bishops' Committee on Migration, said in a May 17 statement that the important considerations for the bill include that it "is workable and includes family unity and a fair and realistic path to citizenship, a new worker program which provides participants a meaningful opportunity to obtain permanent residency, and the preservation of family unity as an integral part of the U.S. immigration system."
Leaders of Catholic Charities USA said they would also push for a bill that "sustains and reunites families, promotes the security of the nation ... (and) improves the economic prospects, health, labor protections and stability of all U.S. residents, including newcomers," among other criteria.
Catholic Charities joined the USCCB in saying the compromise bill is a good starting point, albeit not the optimal approach.
"As the compromise is currently written, we are very concerned about provisions that could lead to separating families and disrupting family life," said a statement from Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA.
The campaign spells out five principles for immigration reform:
-- To make family a priority in immigration law.
-- To insist that worker programs contain protection for U.S. citizen and migrant workers.
-- To allow for earned legalization for undocumented immigrants.
-- To restore due process protections for immigrants.
-- To respond to the economic, political and social root causes of immigration.
In California, parishes and religious communities in East Los Angeles held a Mass May 16 at Resurrection Church to pray for legislators "who will guide the destinies of millions of hardworking immigrants and their families, hoping that just and humane comprehensive immigration reform legislation will be passed this year."
"We support the enforcement of our laws," Archbishop Brunett said. "But while we do not support illegal immigration, the Archdiocese of Seattle has a long-standing tradition of outreach to immigrants and refugees. It is integral to our faith and teaching that we provide food, shelter and material assistance to those in need."
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BUT the main components of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform now being debated has a lot of concern to families:
Three Key Points On The Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill's Plan To End Chain Migration
1. The Bipartisan Immigration Bill Reforms The Immigration System To Better Balance The Importance Of Family Connections With U.S. Economic Needs.
2. The Bill Will End Chain Migration, Which Allows Legal Immigrants To Bring Extended Family Members To The U.S., And Focus Future Family Immigration On The Nuclear Family And Parents. There will still be more family-based than merit-based visas, and the existing decades-long backlog of family-based applications will be eliminated within eight years.
3. Green Cards For Extended Family Will Be Rebalanced To The New Merit-Based System To Select Future Immigrants Based On The Skills And Attributes They Will Bring To The United States.
The Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill Will Focus Future Family Migration On The Nuclear Family And Parents
In Place Of The Current System Where Nearly Two-Thirds Of Green Cards Are Awarded To Relatives Of U.S. Citizens, The Bill Reforms Our Immigration System To Better Balance The Importance Of Family Connections With The Economic Needs Of Our Country.
Green cards for parents of U.S. citizens are capped, while set-asides for the siblings of U.S. citizens and the adult children of U.S. citizens and green card holders are eliminated.
A new Parents Visitor visa is created to ensure that parents are allowed to visit their adult citizen children in the United States regularly and for extended periods of time.
The Diversity Lottery Program, which is susceptible to fraud and grants green cards through random chance, is ended.
The Bill Will Clear The Current Decades-Long Backlog Of Family-Based Applications Within Eight Years And Continue To Uphold The Importance Of Family Connections. During this time, the majority of green cards issued will go to family members. Even after family backlogs are cleared and the rebalancing of visas is complete, there will be more family-based green cards issued than merit-based green cards.
After The Backlogs Are Cleared, Rebalanced Green Cards Will Be Applied To The New Merit-Based System For Immigration. Once the backlogs of employment-based and family-based applications are cleared, there will be 380,000 green cards available under the merit-based system - up from 140,000 employment-based green cards today.
Family Members Of Z Visa Holders And Temporary Workers Will Not Receive Preference For Green Cards
Z Visa Workers May Not Petition To Bring Family Members To The U.S. Family members of Z visa workers must compete for green cards under the merit-based system, which awards points for attributes that further our national interest, including: skills and work experience, with added points for U.S. employment in a specialty or high-demand field; education, with added points for training in science, math, and technology; employer endorsement; ability to speak English; and family ties to the U.S.
Temporary Workers In The "Y" Program Face Strict Restrictions On Bringing Immediate Family Members To The U.S. The new "Y" temporary workers are eligible only for three, two-year terms in the U.S. and must spend at least a year outside the country between each term. To prevent Y's from setting down permanent roots in the U.S., the bill provides that these workers may be accompanied by their families during only one of these terms - and then only if they have the financial means to support them and if their family members will have health insurance. In addition, any Y who brings his or her family will be entitled to only two terms rather than the standard three. Finally, the bill caps the overall number of family members that Y visa workers may bring into the U.S.
Sorry for the long post; I am confused too about the Immigration Reform Bill. Let us see where compromise/s in the Senate will be before the bill gets to the White House.
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