May 18, 2006
The Senate has been debating amendments to the immigration reform bill this week. Some of the results of these votes are as follows:
- Authorizing more than 350 miles of fencing and vehicle barriers along the U.S. – Mexico border.
- Adopting a “prevailing wage” standard for determining wages that must be paid to guestworkers.
- Prohibiting legalization of an undocumented person with a felony conviction or 3 or more misdemeanor convictions and those with prior orders of removal.
- Heightening evidentiary requirements for proving periods of residence and employment.
- Efforts to strike the guestworker program have thus far failed, as have efforts to block citizenship for long-term residents and permanent residence (green card status) for certain guestworkers.
More amendments will be debated in the coming days with the goal of a final vote by the end of the month. Stay tuned.
