BY: TERESA B. FINER (guest blogger)
JANUARY 31, 2014
In Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Obama could not say much more on immigration than: “Let’s get immigration reform done.” Yesterday, Speaker of the House John Boehner responded “It’s time to deal with it.”
Seven months after the Senate passed their comprehensive immigration bill in a 68-32 vote, Republican House leaders released a one page “set of principles” that would form the basis of a few separate immigration bills – a “step by step approach” immigration reform in contrast to the Senate bill, which the Republicans described as “a single, massive piece of legislation that few have read and even fewer understand.”
The principles focus on six areas: border security, workplace enforcement, permanent residency (green cards), nonimmigrant (temporary) visas, children of undocumented aliens, and adult undocumented aliens, with the following plans:
1. Border security – a zero tolerance policy on entry/exit, supported by biometric technology – those who cross the border illegally or overstay the time they have been authorized at the border will face serious consequences. The critical need to build in requirements for consistent enforcement of immigration law is also emphasized.
2. Workplace enforcement – a fully electronic employment verification system to prevent the use of fraudulent documents. This might mean…to read the article in full click here.
Teresa B. Finer heads the firm’s Immigration Group . Please contact her directly if you have any questions regarding immigration.
