With an uncontrollable migration situation and thousands of migrants stranded in Mexico, Representative Maria Elvira Salazar will present a bill in Congress this Tuesday that addresses the most complex issues that have kept the two main political parties (Republicans and Democrats) apart on immigration reform.
According to Salazar, this is the first bipartisan immigration bill introduced in Congress in the last 10 years, which contemplates creating a legal path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants already in the country, while allocating billions of dollars to increase border security, an effort that would be paid for by the immigrants themselves.
The idea behind this bill is that it would be fully paid for by immigrants already in the U.S., with the exception of those who have committed a crime. The program would grant immigrants authorization to work and live for seven years under a program called "Dignity Status," which would cost $1,400. After those seven years, immigrants would qualify for "Redemption Status," which would lead to citizenship at a cost of another $1,400.
The bill contemplates acquiring state-of-the-art technology to better monitor the border, building an impenetrable border infrastructure system, which would include improved physical barriers, and hiring more border patrol agents.
Furthermore, this project would also modify current asylum regulations by creating five “humanitarian campuses” for those awaiting immigration status. The construction of these centers would end the catch-and-release practice, in which undocumented immigrants are released while their cases are being processed.
It should be clarified that the facilities would prevent the separation of family members and immigrants would have a resolution of their cases within 60 days, after which applicants would know if asylum has been approved, denied or is pending, in which case they would be allowed to be free while wearing an ankle monitor.
With this new immigration reform proposal, it is hoped that a bipartisan agreement can be reached that will contribute to offering real and dignified solutions to the immigration situation in the United States.
Source: The New Herald and Dallas News.
