Immigration Bill Aims to Bridge Republican Divide
Via Washingtonpost.com
07/25/2006
In an attempt to strike a pre-election Republican compromise on
immigration, two conservative lawmakers will unveil a plan today that
would allow most of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United
States a chance to work here legally, but only after the government
certifies that U.S. borders have been sufficiently secured, two
congressional aides said.
The proposal — sponsored by Sen. Kay
Bailey Hutchison (Tex.) and Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.) — would pressure
illegal immigrants to “self-deport” to their home countries within two
years of the law’s enactment and apply for a new kind of visa that
would allow them to return to the United States quickly and work
legally if a job awaits them. They would have to work here for 17
years, however, to be eligible for U.S. citizenship.
