5 GREAT new Immigration Reform Bills

5 GREAT new Immigration Reform Bills

See Bills on NUMBERS USA

CHAIN MIGRATION - Rep. Phil Gingrey has introduced H.R.878 that makes changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act, reducing the number of legal family-sponsored immigrants entering the country. Gingrey introduced the same bill in both the 110th Congress (H.R.938) and the 109th (H.R.6283).

The Nuclear Family Priority Act would eliminate the extended family visa categories (e.g., married sons and daughters of citizens, etc.), thus ending “chain migration” as recommended by the bi-partisan Barbara Jordan Commission in 1997.

END IMMIGRATION LOTTERY Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) reintroduced his SAFE for America Act (H.R.2305) last night, which would in effect shut down the Visa Lottery. The lottery issues 50,000 green cards per year without any regard to their humanitarian needs, what they might offer the country or their having any family connections here.

The bill has 26 cosponsors.

END ANCHOR BABIES Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) reintroduced his Birthright Citizenship bill that would eliminate automatic citizenship for children born in the United States. The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009 (H.R.1868) would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it more difficult for children born in the U.S. to gain citizenship.

Under the proposed legislation, a person born in the United States, in order to gain citizenship, must have at least one parent who is:

• a U.S. citizen or national;
• a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or
• an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Rep. Deal's bill has 40 original cosponsors.

LOCAL ENFORCEMENT Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced, H.R. 2406, the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act of 2009. The bill's key goal is "helping local law enforcement detect, arrest and detain illegal aliens in their communties."

The CLEAR Act would authorize the Federal government to reimburse states and localities for up to $400 million per year for the costs of incarcerating illegal aliens. Pres. Barack Obama's FY2010 budget proposal eliminates all funding for this program, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). In addition to continuing the funding for SCAAP, the CLEAR Act also would provide the following enhancements to promote effective enforcement of immigration law:

• Recognition of the inherent authority of states and localities to enforce immigration law;
• Improved information sharing between state and local governments and the federal government;
• A mandate for the federal government to expeditiously remove criminal aliens being detained by states and localities; and
• Increased federal resources for local governments that choose to assist in immigration enforcement.

The CLEAR Act has 19 original cosponsors

E-VERIFY Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) is putting the final touches on this year's SAVE Act, which he plans to introduce in Congress within the next few weeks. Shuler first sponsored the legislation during the last Congressional session, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi kept it off the floor, and the attempt at a discharge petition fell short by 28 signatures.

The SAVE Act (Secure America through Verification and Enforcement) is a three-pronged approach aimed at attrition through enforcement. The bill requires stronger border security, mandatory nationwide use of E-Verify and stronger interior enforcement. Rep. Shuler announced his intentions to reintroduce the bill at the office of Progressives for Immigration Reform where he emphasized interior enforcement, including E-Verify.

"This is not about discrimination because E-Verify is activated after someone has been hired. This helps to ensure that local officials can identify who they arrest. Interior enforcement is crucial," Shuler was quoted as saying in a Washington Examiner article.

Approaching immigration reform from an enforcement angle has been more of the Republican approach, but the purpose of the Progressives for Immigration Reform is to bring more Democratic Representatives to the table.

"We started this organization because we wanted to bring in more liberals on the side of tighter enforcement. There is a lot of concern about the impact mass immigration will have on the environment. In fact, there is a natural marriage here between immigration reform and environmental preservation. So we can have people across the political spectrum," Executive Director Leah Durant said.

For more information, see the Washington Examiner.