Another Enforcement Bill Makes

Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis), the powerful head of the House Judiciary Committee, has introduced the “Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005,” a bill which could be headed for a quick vote in the House sometime next week. The bill, an enforcement-only measure, has been derided by some as too narrow and by others as incomplete. Notably, there are no provisions for a fence along the southern border of the United States nor for troops stationed along the southern border to protect it, as supported by some of the more radical anti-immigrationists. Here is a brief summary of some of the main points of the proposed bill: · A requirement that employers verify the Social Security numbers of all of their employees, with a six-year timeline for enforcement; · Increased penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants, with the minimum fine going from $250 per illegal worker to $5000, with lower fines for small businesses; · Creates a national border security strategy; · Provides for quicker deportation of illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico ; · Makes illegal presence in the U.S. a criminal offense, instead of a civil violation of immigration law, as it is now; this would include overstays; · Makes non-citizen gang members deportable. Supporters of this bill concede that more complete immigration reform is needed, but insist that this bill would provide the necessary first step in reform – enforcement. While Sensenbrenner agrees with the White House that a guest worker program that does not lead to opportunities for citizenship is another element of necessary immigration reform, such a provision has not been included in the current legislation. Please note that even if this bill passes the House next week, the Senate is not expected to take up the immigration issue until early next year. As you know, a bill does not become law until both the House and the Senate pass the same bill and it is signed by the President. Watch this space for further developments!! ______________________________________________________________________________ 本文由范毅禹律师事务所提供 本律师事务所精办各类劳工应聘及专业移民申请 (包括H-1，L-1，EB-1，EB-2，NIW，劳工卡，绿卡等申请)。所有申请由多位美籍律师及拥有15年经验的范毅禹律师亲自处理，我所并特设中英移民网站。内有最新移民新闻资讯及由律师主持的移民问答集，欢迎读者流览查询。 www.Fan-Law.com CALIFORNIA : Fan, Fitzpatrick & Thompson, LLP. 370 E. Glenarm St., Pasadena , CA 91106 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] MARYLAND : Fan, Fitzpatrick & Thompson, LLP. 230 North Washington Street, Suite 400 , Rockville , MD 20850 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]