Immigration Reform: An Authentic Proposal

QueensLatino publishes this document to open a dialogue for the Immigration Reform. Arnoldo Torres, Policy Consultant and Commentator for Telemundo TV wrote this proposal. Torres is meeting with legislators in Washington D.C. after President Obama and some politicians announced that this year they will introduce a bill to reform immigration. Please make comments about this proposal. At the bottom of this text there is a summary of this proposal in Spanish.

PURPOSE: To reform U.S. immigration policy to strengthen security, secure the borders, curtail unauthorized immigration, expand economic development, promote family stability, and establish long-term partnerships with sending countries.

BACKGROUND: The need to address the complex and emotional issue of illegal immigration has been highlighted by key activities over the last six years: enactment of Arizona law which many argue was necessitated by the violence and fear of illegal drug trafficking, human smuggling and the failure of the federal government to enact immigration reform legislation; proliferation of state laws targeting undocumented workers followed by unintended, adverse impact to many of the state’s economy; the tone of anti-immigrant rhetoric before and during the Republican primary and 2012 Presidential election; and the record number of deportations undertaken during the Obama administration. These actions have exacerbated problems and created new challenges to public safety, economic stability, family preservation, and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws and procedures.

SOLUTION: Integrate the economic “push” factors of sending countries and the “pull” factors of American business interests into a practical and comprehensive strategy which also targets labor, border enforcement, and safety concerns. More specifically, implement the following policy initiatives in two phases over a five-year period:

FIRST PHASE—“DOWN PAYMENT”

I.     Strengthen “Smart and Practical” Enforcement –Target gaps in immigration enforcement, and disrupt, reduce and eliminate drug trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border and along “drug corridors” in the interior of the U.S. This would be accomplished by: 1.) allocating resources for equipment and initiatives for U.S. Border Patrol to detect tunnels, improve night patrols, and create greater access along U.S.-Mexico geography, 2.) expand technological and interoperability of data systems to reduce visa overstays, 3.)targeting financial flows (money laundering and bulk cash smuggling) from U.S. to Mexico from human smuggling and drug trafficking, 4.) funding local law enforcement along corridors to target drug trafficking operated by Mexican drug transporting organizations and U.S.-based prison gangs, 5.) allocating resources to U.S. Coast Guard to detect and interdict human and drug smuggling along U.S. west and southern coasts, 6.) creating national E-Verify program (see Second Phase III) and 7.) creating initiatives with Central American countries to address socio-economic destabilization caused by drug trafficking organizations and illegal immigration to the U.S.;

II.     Economic Development– Address root causes of illegal immigration by creating economic opportunities in border and Mexican states with high illegal immigration flows to the U.S. This would be done by adequately funding the North American Development Bank (NADBank) who would work with the private sectors in the U.S. and Mexico to develop local economies, create jobs on both sides of the border, and provide for long-term economic development that will minimize the flows of illegal workers to the U.S The NADBank was established in 1996 for the purpose of developing economies in the U.S.-Mexico to curtail flows of illegal aliens. Since its inception it has never received support and funding that would allow it to carry out is mission effectively.

III.     Deferred-Action for Foreign Workers and Expansion of Foreign Professionals– Provide access by key U.S. employers and industries to experienced foreign workers residing in the U.S through a “deferred action” program for those qualifying to remain legally in the U.S. Would also put in place the development of a program developed with sending countries should there not be sufficient workers for specific U.S. industries by which workers can enter the U.S. under specific criteria and circumstances that do not displace American citizens. Also expand access to foreign skilled and professional workers by increasing foreign professional worker visas by 200,000,

IV.     Permanent Residency for Undocumented Children – Permit minors enrolled in school and/or have graduated from college, were brought to the U.S. by undocumented parents, pay a fee, meet other specified criteria to apply for legal status and apply for citizenship after five-years;

V.     “New Americans” Initiatives – Contribute resources for public-private partnerships to integrate legal immigrants and permanent resident aliens into U.S. mainstream by increasing conversions to U.S. citizenship status, and encouraging and assisting with assimilation into the U.S. mainstream while respecting and appreciating all cultural origins,

VI.     Strengthen Legal Immigration – Decrease backlogs for legal immigration visas for family and business, increase professional visas, and assess immigration administrative law process to insure compliance and consistency with rules, regulations and legal precedents;

VII.     Create Mechanism for Assessing Number of Eligible Immigrants to Adjust Status – Assess the potential number of undocumented individuals who could qualify for a legalization program if they meet specific criteria and can prove continuous residency in the U.S. before January 1, 2006. Those meeting criteria would be placed in deferred action status until E-Verify is ready to be implemented in Phase II. The USCIS will undertake an analysis of the costs necessary to process anticipated applications;

VIII. Assess E-Verify – Direct creation of task force comprised of the Department of Labor, Department of Commerce, and Department of Justice and Homeland security with lead research responsibilities to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Congressional Research Service (CRS) to conduct a thorough review of an E-Verify program to insure major weaknesses and problems previously encountered have been corrected prior to pursuing nationwide implementation. Report and recommendations would be due to Congress within two years; and

IX. Future Adjustments of Status – Require supermajority support of Congress for passage of any legalization program in the future.

SECOND PHASE

I.         Bilateral Mechanism to Reduce “Push” and “Pull” Factors – A bilateral mechanism will be established between the U.S. and key sending countries which will provide future temporary workers to the U.S. A bilateral mechanism between the U.S. and Mexico will also be established with working groups representing the U.S. and Mexico concerning security, border control, economic development, temporary workers, and border immigration issues. Such a structure will allow the U.S. and Mexico, and other countries interested in providing temporary workers to the U.S., to participate in an on-going process for dealing with future needs that will not require Congressional action. This will allow for a more responsive process to meet U.S. economic needs while insuring proper and effective monitoring and protections for foreign workers;

II.         Implementation of E-Verify – Based on the GAO and CRS report and recommendations, legislation would be introduced for implementation of a nationwide E-Verify program no later than 2015; and

III.         Implementation of Phased-In Legalization Program – Following Phase I, undocumented persons meeting set criteria shall begin to be legalized when E-Verify is implemented. Over a four-year period equal amounts of the total qualifying immigrants shall be processed each year for four years. Eligible applicants shall be required to pay a processing fee based on the overall costs identified by United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in Phase I.

BENEFITS:

– Taking a multi-year approach allows policy makers to craft a comprehensive plan and implement policies and initiatives in phases that are based on results and analysis;

– Targeting drug related crime and violence, border enforcement, and eliminating financial flow (money laundering) will improve security, public safety, reduce violence, and establish “smart” enforcement;

– Prompting economic development in Mexico and other South American countries will reduce the causes of undocumented immigrant flows which revolve around seeking better economic opportunities in the U.S.;

– Enabling foreign workers residing in the U.S. to work in industries and states which have suffered economically and have a historical dependency on this workforce will strengthen and expand economic recovery and avoid having to create a temporary worker program;

– Legalizing the children of undocumented parents will unleash a new educated pool of young people needed for an American aging and shrinking workforce, will help meet the needs of specific growth industries, and strengthen small businesses;

– The “New Americans” initiatives will bring together the private and public sectors to fund and strengthen resident aliens becoming U.S. citizens, will provide the important message and activities for legal immigrants to become integrated into mainstream U.S. society, and will build patriotism among immigrants;

– Improving the legal immigration process will re-build trust, confidence and respect for a process which is understaffed, has been plagued with delays of up to 10 to 15 years as opposed to the three to five years, and has caused applicants for legal immigration to enter the U.S. illegally because of these delays;

– Assessing the number of potential undocumented immigrants who could qualify for legalization and citizenship prior to implementation will result in a better planned, rational, and cost-effective process, and remove the specter of second-class residents/citizens, while maximizing the economic contributions of these immigrants to the U.S.;

– Assessing problems and making improvements to the E-Verify program will allow for the implementation of the national program that will protect jobs for U.S. citizens and resident aliens while insuring their identity, privacy, and civil rights;

– Linking adjustment of status for undocumented workers in the U.S. and implementation of E-Verify will insure that U.S. workers are properly protected and that undocumented immigrants are allowed to contribute fully to U.S. society while greatly reducing the displacement of U.S. workers;

– Establishing that a super majority in both Houses of Congress will be required to approve any future legalization/adjustment of status program for undocumented workers insures there must be a national call and support for such an initiative;

– Establishing an institutional mechanism with Mexico and Central American countries will allow for a practical and responsive creation of a temporary worker program that will not displace U.S. born workers, prevent future flows of undocumented workers, and address the economic and social instabilities caused by drug transporting organizations (DTO’s) which lead to illegal immigration from these sending countries; and

– Involving Mexico (and other sending countries) in the development of solutions for reducing outflows of their citizens can result in better strategies and greater investments by Mexico (and others) to stop the draining of their human capital to the U.S.

  By Arnoldo Torres, expert on politics and immigration, and a columnist of QueensLatino.com (E-mail: arnoldots@yahoo.com)

SERUMEN ES ESPAÑOL

Una propuesta de Reforma de Inmigración

QueensLatino publica la propuesta de Reforma de Inmigración que se encuentra en estas dos páginas. Fue escrita en inglés y la publicamos en ese idioma porque va dirigida a los legisladores en Washington D.C. Fue escrita por Arnoldo Torres, consultor político y comentarista de Telemundo TV. Es un experto en inmigración y estrategias políticas que además escribe para QueensLatino en sus ediciones digital e impresa.

Por favor comente esta propuesta enviándole un correo electrónico al autor: arnoldots@yahoo.com También puede ingresar a www.QueensLatino.com, buscar este artículo y hacer comentarios al final del texto.

La propuesta se fundamenta en las leyes de esta nación y en eventos noticiosos que han influido en la ideología de los estadounidenses, como las leyes antiinmigrantes en Arizona, el narcotráfico que está utilizando la frontera con México y se ha vuelto muy violento, la retórica antiinmigrante del partido republicano y las intenciones del presidente Obama de implementar una reforma de inmigración.

Esta propuesta incluye la problemática de los países que envían inmigrantes y la realidad socio económica que se vive en los Estados Unidos, teniendo en cuenta los intereses de los negocios, el problema de seguridad interna y las condiciones laborales.

Este proyecto de Reforma de Inmigración está dividido en dos etapas y se implementaría en cinco años. La primera etapa incluye factores como el reforzamiento de la ley en las fronteras, las condiciones económicas que estimulan la inmigración, la acción diferida para trabajadores y profesionales extranjeros, la residencia permanente para los niños indocumentados, el camino a la ciudadanía y la revisión el E-Verify.

La segunda etapa incluye estrategias bilaterales entre los países que envían inmigrantes “push” y el que los recibe “pull”, la implementación del E-Verify para antes del 2015 y abrir el camino de la legalización para aquellos que califiquen.

Esta propuesta de Reforma de Inmigración no incluye la deportación, se enfoca en la reducción del narcotráfico y sus secuelas y no penaliza a los individuos, además de buscar la unificación de las familias y el apoyo a aquellos inmigrantes que estudien y participen honestamente en el desarrollo de los Estados Unidos.