Update from Capital Hill

The issue of comprehensive immigration reform has been brought back to the floor of the Senate by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev). Senator Reid has appealed to President Bush an ardent supporter of comprehensive immigration reform to lend his support to Senate debate. If Senate negotiators reach a deal in the coming days, Senator Reid has promised to bring the proposal to a vote. The White House is calling for a program which would:

• Establish a New Worker Program with a limited opportunity for permanent residence for users;
• Eliminate some family preference categories;
• Adopt a new merit/point system for permanent residence;
• Provide a program to convert the undocumented workers into a new Z visa category which would ultimately allow them to earn permanent residence.

GT attorneys who have been working around the clock on Capitol Hill to advocate for strong bi-partison legislation believe that the proposal can be used to formulate comprehensive immigration reform. Any legislation that will be implemented must be workable.

Senator Reid has stated that he will introduce SB 2611, last year’s Senate bill, if no negotiated bill is introduced. In response, the Republicans have threatened to block a motion to proceed. GT will continue to update our clients on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform debate that may take place in the Senate for two weeks beginning on Monday, May 14, 2007.


Other News from the Hill....

On May 8, 2007, Representatives Leahy (D-VT) and Nadler (D-NY) introduced the Uniting American Families Act. If passed this bill would allow citizens and legal permanent residents (LPRs) who are in sex-same relationships to sponsor their partners for immigration benefits.

GT has learned that House democrats plan to introduce a bill entitled Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act which would increase the number of Iraqi refugees eligible for resettlement in the United States by 20,000 in 2007 and 2008. Current regulations allow for 7,000 Iraqi refugees to be processed for entry into the U.S. by the year’s end. The proposed legislation would also provide 15,000 visas to be issued to “special immigrant status” Iraqis and their families annually for the next four years. Special immigrant status Iraqis are those that have worked with the U.S. government, U.S. contractors or U.S. NGOs in Iraq. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than four million Iraqis are displaced as a result of conflict in the country.