Eight US lawmakers crossed party lines to unveil a plan on Monday that would provide a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the shadows in the United States.
‘We recognize that our immigration system is broken,’ the senators said in their bipartisan framework.
It promises a ‘tough but fair’ path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, reform that would build the US economy, an ‘effective’ employment verification system and an improved process to admit future workers. The proposed legislation also increases the number of drones and other surveillance equipment, as well as the number of agents at and between ports of entry in a bid to better secure the long borders the United States shares with Canada to the north and especially Mexico to the south.
Although the bill seeks to boost security measures, it also vows to ‘strengthen prohibitions against racial profiling and inappropriate use of force,’ as well as improve training for border patrol agents and increase oversight. In a bid to combat visa overstays, the lawmakers offered a requirement for those in the country illegally to register with the government.
Around 40 per cent of the illegal immigrants now in the United States entered the country legally but then let their visa expire, according to official estimates.
But under the plan, they would also be able to earn ‘probationary’ legal status -- to live and work legally in the US -- after passing a background check and paying a fine and back taxes.
Those with a ‘serious’ criminal background or who otherwise threaten US national security would not be eligible for legal status.
AMERICAN PASTOR GETS EIGHT YEARS’ PRISON TERM IN IRAN
The US state department says an American pastor who has been jailed in Iran since September has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Spokesman Darby Holladay said on Sunday that the department is calling on Iran to respect Saeed Abedini's human rights and release him.
Earlier this month Iran's semi-official news agency, ISNA, quoted Abedini's attorney as saying his client stood trial in the Revolutionary Court on charges of attempting to undermine state security by creating a network of Christian churches in private homes.
The pastor, who is of Iranian origin but lives in Boise, Idaho, has rejected the charges.
Holladay says the State Department is in close contact with Abedini's family and actively engaged in the case.
The agency says it condemns Iran's continued violation of the universal right of freedom of religion.
‘We recognize that our immigration system is broken,’ the senators said in their bipartisan framework.
It promises a ‘tough but fair’ path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, reform that would build the US economy, an ‘effective’ employment verification system and an improved process to admit future workers. The proposed legislation also increases the number of drones and other surveillance equipment, as well as the number of agents at and between ports of entry in a bid to better secure the long borders the United States shares with Canada to the north and especially Mexico to the south.
Although the bill seeks to boost security measures, it also vows to ‘strengthen prohibitions against racial profiling and inappropriate use of force,’ as well as improve training for border patrol agents and increase oversight. In a bid to combat visa overstays, the lawmakers offered a requirement for those in the country illegally to register with the government.
Around 40 per cent of the illegal immigrants now in the United States entered the country legally but then let their visa expire, according to official estimates.
But under the plan, they would also be able to earn ‘probationary’ legal status -- to live and work legally in the US -- after passing a background check and paying a fine and back taxes.
Those with a ‘serious’ criminal background or who otherwise threaten US national security would not be eligible for legal status.
AMERICAN PASTOR GETS EIGHT YEARS’ PRISON TERM IN IRAN
The US state department says an American pastor who has been jailed in Iran since September has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Spokesman Darby Holladay said on Sunday that the department is calling on Iran to respect Saeed Abedini's human rights and release him.
Earlier this month Iran's semi-official news agency, ISNA, quoted Abedini's attorney as saying his client stood trial in the Revolutionary Court on charges of attempting to undermine state security by creating a network of Christian churches in private homes.
The pastor, who is of Iranian origin but lives in Boise, Idaho, has rejected the charges.
Holladay says the State Department is in close contact with Abedini's family and actively engaged in the case.
The agency says it condemns Iran's continued violation of the universal right of freedom of religion.