Legal Status For Nearly 11 Million Illegal Aliens In U.S. Expected By End Of Summer 2013

Photos: HNG/HNNUSA

U.S. House and Senate aligned to approve a comprehensive immigration reform bill with a path to citizenship for nearly 11 million of illegal aliens by the end of Summer 2013.

By H. Nelson Goodson

April 14, 2013

Washington, D.C. - On Wednesday, multiple U.S. House Representatives and U.S. Senators speaking at the April 10th National Immigration Reform rally that drew more than 100,000 participants indicated that both the House and Senate are expected to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill with a path to citizenship for nearly 11 million of "illegal aliens" (term used by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)) by the end of this Summer. The recent resurgence immigration reform movement at the national level is adding pressure from all segments and levels of society, including immigrant rights groups and organizations, political, religious clergy, labor unions, multi-million social network developers and business leaders in the country for federal legislators to finally present and propose two similar bills that will include three key immigration reform provisions, according to a Senate aide. The key provisions focus on, border security for the Southern part of the U.S. border, before allowing to begin documenting immigrants seeking legal status to remain in the country, eliminate the voluntary use of E-Verify by employers and replacing it by a mandatory nationwide use of the system by employers to verify the legal status of employees to work in the U.S. and create a tracking system of issued Visas to foreigners and making sure they don't overstay their Visas authority.

The "Gang of Eight" that includes Sen. Michael Bennet, R-Colorado; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina; Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona; Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona; Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois; and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York will introduce a 1,500 page immigration reform bill by Tuesday that will include a ten year waiting period for those undocumented immigrants who become legalized under the bill to apply for citizenship. The Senate bill will also include a cutoff date of December 31, 2011 and anyone after that date won't qualify to be legalized. The House similar bill version, which is expected later will include a January 31, 2011 cutoff date preventing more than 200,000 undocumented immigrants from legalizing.
The Senate immigration plan will make it more difficult for illegal aliens to get legal status than the current immigration laws. Illegal aliens will have to wait at least 10 years to get a green card (permanent residency). Under the current law, illegal aliens have to leave the country for ten years and then they could apply for a green card. Under the proposed Senate plan, illegal aliens would have to pay an upfront fine. They won't quality for federal benefits, food stamps, welfare or Obamacare, according to Sen. Rubio. Rubio believes, that the federal government should make it more difficult for illegal aliens to obtain legal status with the reform plan, than with the current laws and process to obtain legal status.

A one day hearing session of the bill will take place on Wednesday and apparently Janet Napolitano, Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security is scheduled to speak on the immigration issue, according to senate sources.

Both pro-immigrant and anti-immigrant foes have launched national call in campaigns to federal legislators in favor or against an immigration reform bill since last Tuesday. But, a bipartisan immigration reform bill will most likely be introduced this week and approved by the end of Summer. 

Anti-immigrant groups don't approve of any kind of immigration reform bill (amnesty) that would provide legalization status for more than 11 million of undocumented taxpaying immigrants in the country, except to enforce current immigration laws leading to massive deportations. Some of those extreme conservative groups have engaged in fear to exploit and get funding to help them continue the fight for those who still believe they can actually stop cold today's immigration reform movement. 

The November 2012 Presidential election proved one influential fact, that the majority of the Hispanic vote was the determining vote to electing President Barack H. Obama (D-IL) for a second term and other state and federal legislators. For the GOP or a majority of Republicans to dismiss and ignore that fact would be a detrimental setback for the party in the upcoming elections and in 2016. 

Today, a majority of Republican legislators in Congress and the Senate are determine to work with Democrats in a bipartisan immigration reform bill, despite anti-immigrant sentiment. The approval of a just reform bill in the country will generate billions of economic wealth for the nation. America's gradual economic recovery will no doubt be sparked by a prosperous job and wealth producing immigrant nation.