The White House, after multiple closed door sessions with GOP lawmakers, have come up with an immigration scheme doomed to failure from the start. After all the GOP brainstorming they decided to require that undocumented immigrants leave the US and apply for work visas that are good for three years at a cost (filing fees only) of $3500.00. To become a permanent resident the newly documented immigrants would have to pay a $10000.00 penalty on top of the regular filing fees.
Even without the xenophobes in the GOP fighting it, this plan is a non-starter as very few could even afford it.
See more here.
It looks like the GOP is trying to undo some of the damage that was done to the party when it allowed the xenophobes and nativists to take over for them last year costing them the Hispanic vote and perhaps damaging the party for years.
GOP lawmakers are working behind closed doors to come up with some sort of immigration legislation. The President is still pushing for the same. Unfortunately they are not working with Democrats so it’s likely that the GOP legislation will be more punitive than effective as they will have to play to their base.
On the Democratic side of the aisle, Senator Kennedy is moving to use the immigration legislation passed in committee as a starting point for negotiations with the GOP.
More here.
The bipartisan Dream Act will be reintroduced in the House and the Senate soon. The Dream Act provides that individuals who were brought to the US as undocumented children, have been in school, and have stayed out of trouble can apply for permanent residency.
