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House Committee on the Judiciary
Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
IMMIGRATIONRESOURCE KIT
August 2013
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Table o Contents
STRENGTHENING BORDER SECURITY
& INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT 5
The SAFE Act 6
The Legal Workorce Act 8
The Border Security Results Act 10
IMPROVING OUR LEGAL
IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS 11
The SKILLS Visa Act 12
The AG Act 14
FAIRLY DEALING WITH
UNLAWFUL IMMIGRANTS 16
The Way Forward 17
PRESS MATERIALS 18
How to Communicate Immigration Reorm 19
Talking Points: Top 10 Concerns About Senate Bill 20
Sample Op-ed 22
Sample Script or Website Video 23
Committee Contacts
The House Judiciary Committee
is eager to help you communicate
the importance o immigrationreorm to your constituents.
Below are key Committee
contacts on immigration issues.
Immigration and
Border Security Subcommittee
Main Line: (202) 225-3926
George Fishman
Chie Immigration Counsel
Andrea Loving
Deputy Chie Immigration Counsel
Dimple Shah
Immigration Oversight [email protected]
Press Ofce
Main Line: (202) 225-3951
Kathryn Rexrode
Communications Director
Jessica Collins
Press Secretary
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Augus 2013
DearRepublicanColleague:
Congress iscurrenlyengagedina momenousdebae onimmigraion.Near
lyeveryoneagreesha we
needoxournaionsbrokenimmigraion sysemandsecureheborder,bu
heHouseandSenaeare
akingwoverydierenapproaches osolvinghiscomplexissue. Whileh
e Senaehaspasseda massive
billha conainsmanyproblemaic provisions,heHouseis aking asep-by
-sep approachsoha we
careullyandmehodicallyrevieweachcomponenoimmigraion reormin
deail.Wewan o produce
betersoluionssohahe endresul isa workableimmigraion sysemor
heyearso come.
Tissep-by-sepapproach willhelpusgeim
migraion reormrighbymaking sureweavoidhe
misakesohe pas.Forexample, nearly30yearsago Congresspassed andPresiden Reagansignedino
lawhe ImmigraionReormand Conrol Ac o1986,assuringheAmerica
npeople haiwould xour
immigraionsysem. We werepromisedougher enorcemen inexchange or
helegalizaion oroughly
hreemillionpeople bu hesepromiseswere no kepandour immigraio
nlawsremainbroken.Te
American peoplewano knowhowCongress plans oavoid hissimilarouc
omeinhecurren debae
surrounding immigraionreorm.
Anyimmigraionreormbillneeds orssrenghenborder securiyandh
einerior enorcemen oour
immigraionlaws, improveourlegalimmigraionprograms, and nd awayo
airlydealwih unlawul
immigrans. Aspar oour sep-by-sepappro
ach,heHouseJudiciaryCommiteehasheldnumerous
educaionalbriengsor MembersoCongresssincehebeginningoheyearonour immigraionlaws,
convenednearlyadozenhearings onimmigraion, and approvedseveral bill
s haaddressspecicissues
wihinourimmigraionsysem.However, ourworkisno yenished.
Tis recesspacke has beenpu ogehero helpyoucommunicaeoyour co
nsiuensheimporanceo
immigraion reormandheHouseRepublicanplanoproducesoluionsha
acuallyxhe problems
ha plagueourimmigraionsysem.TeCommitee welcomes yourinsigha
ndinpu aswe move
orwardogeher onhisimporan issue.Pleasedono hesiaeoconac m
eormysaiyouneed
anyhingasweworkowardourgoaloa workableimmigraion sysem.
Sincerely,
Bob Goodlate
Chairman
HouseCommiteeonhe Judiciary
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IMMIGRATION RESOURCE KIT
STRENGTHENING
BORDER SECURITY
& INTERIOR
ENFORCEMENT
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6 | IMMIGRATION RESOURCE KIT
The SAFE Act
Background
Successul immigraion reorm mus address
eecive inerior enorcemen o our immigraionlaws. Tis is an inegral piece o he puzzle. We
can jus be xaed on securing he border, which
undoubedly is an issue o paramoun concern.
We mus also ocus on inerior enorcemen,
or more precisely wha o do wih unlawul
immigrans who make i pas he border and
legal immigrans who violae he erms o heir
visas and hus become unlawully presen in he
U.S. In ac, is esimaed ha 30-40% o illegalimmigrans currenly living in he U.S. came here
legally and hen oversayed heir visas. Any real
immigraion reorm eor mus guaranee ha our
laws will be enorced.
The Problem
One reason why our immigraion sysem
is broken oday is because he presen and
pas adminisraions have largely ignoredhe enorcemen o our immigraion laws.
Under Presiden Obamas Adminisraion, he
Deparmen o Homeland Securiy sopped he
deporaion o cerain caegories o unlawul
immigrans alogeher. I we wan o avoid
he misakes o he pas, we canno allow he
Presiden o coninue shuting down ederal
immigraion enorcemen eors unilaerally.
The Solution
On June 6, 2013, Immigraion and Border
Securiy Subcommitee Chairman rey Gowdyinroduced he Srenghen and Foriy Enorcemen
Ac(H.R. 2278), also known as he SAFE Ac. Te
House Judiciary Commitee approved his bill on
June 18, 2013 by a voe o 20-15.
Te SAFE Acimproves he inerior enorcemen
o our immigraion laws by prevening he
Execuive Branch rom urning o ederal
enorcemen eors unilaerally. Te bill
accomplishes his by graning saes and localiieshe auhoriy o enorce ederal immigraion
laws. Te bill srenghens naional securiy by
increasing border securiy, making i more dicul
or oreign naionals who pose a naional securiy
risk o ener and remain in he U.S., improving
visa securiy in high risk counries, and proecing
American communiies rom dangerous
criminal aliens.
Te bill is suppored by he Naional Immigraion
and Cusoms Enorcemen Council, he Wesern
Saes Sheri s Associaion, and he Naional
Associaion o Former Border Parol Ocers.
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FAST FACT30-40% o illegal immigrantscame here legally butoverstayed their visas.
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Summary o the SAFE Act
Grans Saes and Localiies he Auhoriy
o Enorce Immigraion Laws: Presidens oboh paries had oo much laiude o reuse o
enorce our immigraion laws. Tis bill removes
he abiliy o he Presiden o unilaerally shu
down enorcemen eors by graning saes and
localiies specic congressional auhorizaion o
assis in he enorcemen o ederal immigraion
law and includes provisions o aciliae heir
assisance. I also allows saes and localiies o
enac and enorce heir own immigraion laws
as long as hey are consisen wih ederal law. In
addiion, he bill wihholds specic grans rom
sancuary ciies ha dey ederal immigraion
enorcemen eors.
Srenghens Naional Securiy: Te bill makes
i more dicul or oreign erroriss and oher
oreign naionals who pose naional securiy
concerns o ener and remain in he Unied
Saes. O noe, he bill bars oreign erroriss orremovable immigrans who hreaen naional
securiy rom receiving immigraion benes,
such as nauralizaion and discreionary relie
rom removal, among oher hings. Te bill
also requires ha no immigraion benes may
be provided o immigrans unil all required
background and securiy checks are compleed.
Proecs American Communiies rom
Dangerous Criminal Aliens: Te bill proecshe American public by aciliaing and expediing
he removal o criminal aliens. In he insance a
dangerous criminal immigran canno be removed
rom he U.S., he bill allows DHS o deain hem.
I also keeps our srees sae by providing or
mandaory deenion o unlawul immigrans who
have been conviced o DUIs.
Improves Visa Securiy: Te bill improves
our naions rs line o deense, he visa issuance
process. Te bill expands he Visa Securiy
Program o addiional high risk poss, srenghens
he inegriy o he suden visa program, and
auhorizes DHS and he Sae Deparmen o
revoke visas o oreign naionals i in he securiy
or oreign policy ineress o he U.S., among
oher provisions.
Helps ICE Ocers Beter Do Teir Jobs:
Te bill assiss U.S. Immigraion and Cusoms
Enorcemen ocers in carrying ou heirjobs o enorcing ederal immigraion laws by
srenghening heir abiliy o make arress or
immigraion violaions. Te bill also allows hem
o carry rearms and provides hem wih
body armor.
Srenghens Border Securiy: Te bill
prohibis he Deparmens o Inerior and
Agriculure rom prevening Border Parol agens
access o ederal lands wihin 100 miles o heborder. Tis will beter enable Border Parol
agens o secure our border and preven illegal
aciviy, such as il legal immigraion, smuggling,
and drug racking. I also prohibis he
inererence o Border Parol aciviies, such
as consrucion and mainenance o roads and
barriers, use o parol vehicles, and deploymen o
acical inrasrucure.
Reviews Adminisraions Abuse o
Prosecuorial Discreion: Te bill requires
a repor o Congress each year on he abuse o
prosecuorial discreion by he Adminisraion.
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The Legal Workorce Act
The Problem
Employers by law are currenly required o use he
paper-based, error-prone I-9 sysem o check helegal saus o heir newly hired employees. Tis
law has been on he books or nearly 30 years bu
is no an accurae way or employers o check he
legal saus o heir new employees since ideniy
documens can be easily alsied.
E-Veriy is a web-based program ha provides
employers wih an easier and more accurae way
o deermine i heir new employees are allowed
o work in he U.S. Tis program has been upand running since 1997 bu is currenly no
mandaory or all U.S. employers.
E-Veriy checks he Social Securiy numbers or
alien idenicaion numbers o new hires agains
Social Securiy Adminisraion and Deparmen
o Homeland Securiy records in order o help
ensure ha new hires are genuinely eligible o
work in he U.S. Te program quickly conrms
99.7% o work-eligible employees and akes less
han wo minues o use.
Alhough i is no required, oday over 465,000
American employers volunarily use E-Veriy.
Ouside evaluaions have ound ha he vas
majoriy o employers using E-Veriy believe i o
be an eecive and reliable ool or checking he
legal saus o heir employees.
The Solution
TeLegal Workorce Ac(H.R. 1772) was
inroduced on April 26, 2013 by Rep. LamarSmih and approved by he House Judiciary
Commitee on June 26, 2013 in a voe o 22-9.
Tis biparisan bill discourages illegal immigraion
by ensuring jobs are made available only o hose
auhorized o work in he U.S. Specically, he bill
requires employers o check he work eligibiliy o
all uure hires hough he E-Veriy sysem.
TeLegal Workorce Acis suppored by he
Associaed Builders and Conracors Inc, heNaional Resauran Associaion, he HR Policy
Associaion, he Naional Reail Federaion, he
Inernaional Franchise Associaion, he Essenial
Worker Immigraion Coaliion, NumbersUSA,
he Chamber o Commerce, and he Naional
Associaion o Home Builders amoung ohers.
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FAST FACTE-Veriy confrms 99.7% owork eligible employeesand takes less than twominutes to use.
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Summary o the Legal Workorce Act
Repeals I-9 Sysem: TeLegal Workorce Ac
repeals he curren paper-based I-9 sysem andreplaces i wih a compleely elecronic work
eligibiliy check, bringing he process ino he
21s cenury. However, an employer may op o
keep using he paper-based I-9 sysem in addiion
o E-Veriy i hey preer.
Gradual Phase-In: Te bill phases-in mandaory
E-Veriy paricipaion or new hires in six monh
incremens beginning on he dae o enacmen.
Wihin six monhs o enacmen, businesses
having more han 10,000 employees are required
o use E-Veriy. Wihin 12 monhs o enacmen,
businesses having 500 o 9,999 employees
are required o use E-Veriy. Eigheen monhs
aer enacmen, businesses having 20 o 499
employees mus use E-Veriy. And 24 monhs aer
enacmen, businesses having 1 o 19 employees
mus use E-Veriy. I allows a one-ime six monh
exension o he iniial phase-in. I also requiresha employees perorming agriculural labor or
services are subjec o an E-Veriy check wihin
24 monhs o he dae o enacmen.
Volunary Use: Te bill allows employers o
use E-Veriy o check he work eligibiliy o heir
curren employees as long as hey do so in a
nondiscriminaory manner and on all employees
who are in he same geographic locaion or in he
same job caegory.
Srenghened Penalies: Te bill raises
penalies on employers who knowingly hire illegal
immigrans in violaion o he requiremens o he
bill. Te bill also creaes a penaly or individuals
(employees or employers) who knowingly submi
alse inormaion o he E-Veriy sysem.
Saes as Parners: Te bill preemps duplicaive
sae laws mandaing E-Veriy use bu gives saes
prominen roles in enorcing he law. Specically,
i reains he abiliy o saes and localiies o
condiion business licenses on he requiremen
ha he employer use E-Veriy in good aih under
ederal law. In addiion, he bill allows saes o
enorce he ederal E-Veriy requiremen and
incenivizes hem o do so by leting hem keep
he nes hey recover rom employers who violae
he law.
Proecs Agains Ideniy Tef: Te bill allowsindividuals o lock heir Social Securiy number
(SSN) so ha i can be used by anoher person o
ge a job. I also allows parens or legal guardians
o lock he SSN o heir minor child. And i a
SSN shows a patern o unusual muliple use,
DHS is required o lock he SSN and aler he
owner ha heir personal inormaion may have
been compromised.
Sae Harbor: Te bill grans employers saeharbor rom prosecuion i hey use he
E-Veriy program in good aih, and hrough
no aul o heir own, receive an incorrec
eligibiliy conrmaion.
Ideniy Auhenicaion Pilo Programs: Te
bill requires DHS o conduc a leas wo pilo
programs aimed a using echnology wihin he
E-Veriy sysem o help urher preven ideniy
he in he sysem.
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The Border Security Results Act
The Problem
Border securiy is he rs line o deense agains
illegal immigraion a our naions borders andpors o enry. In addiion, our homeland securiy
hinges in par on how well we conrol who and
wha comes ino his counry. A porous border
is no only a condui or drug smugglers and
human rackers, bu is also a vulnerabiliy ha
erroriss may exploi. However, he Deparmen
o Homeland Securiy does no have a naional
sraegy o secure he borders or reliable merics
o measure border securiy progress. Te House
Homeland Securiy Commitee has approved a
bill o address border securiy, heBorder Securiy
Resuls Ac.
Summary o the
Border Security Results Act
TeBorder Securiy Resuls Ac(H.R. 1417) wasinroduced on April 9, 2013 by House Homeland
Securiy Chairman Michael McCaul and approved
by he House Homeland Securiy Commitee on
May 20, 2013 by voice voe. H.R. 1417 requires
resuls veried by merics o end he Deparmen
o Homeland Securiys ad hoc border approach
and help secure our naions porous borders. For
more inormaion abou his bill, please conac
he House Homeland Securiy Commitee.
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IMMIGRATION RESOURCE KIT
IMPROVING
OUR LEGAL
IMMIGRATION
PROGRAMS
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The SKILLS Visa Act
Background
Te conribuions o highly-skilled and educaed
immigrans o he Unied Saes are well-documened. Seveny-six percen o he paens
awarded o our op paen-producing universiies
had a leas one oreign-born invenor. According
o a recen repor, hese oreign-born invenors
played especially large roles in cuting edge
elds like semiconducor device manuacuring,
inormaion echnology, pulse or digial
communicaions, pharmaceuical drugs or drug
compounds and opics.
A sudy by he American Enerprise Insiue and
he Parnership or a New American Economy
ound ha an addiional 100 immigrans wih
advanced SEM degrees rom U.S. universiies
is associaed wih an addiional 262 jobs or
naives. Te sudy also ound ha immigrans
wih advanced degrees pay over $22,000 a year in
axes ye heir amilies receive less han $2,300 in
governmen benes.
The Problem
Te Unied Saes has he mos generous legal
immigraion sysem in he world providingpermanen residence o over a million immigrans
a year. However, we only selec 12% o immigrans
on he basis o he educaion and skills hey can
bring o America and ha percenage includes
he immigrans amily members. Oher counries,
such as Canada, he U.K., and Ausralia, selec
over 60% o immigrans based on skills.
In addiion, while many immigrans have ounded
some o our mos successul companies, we onlyselec less han 1% o immigrans on he basis o
heir enrepreneurial alens. And ha is only i
hey already have he hundreds o housands o
dollars needed o paricipae in he invesor visa
program. In odays global economy, i doesn
make sense o orei he worlds bes and brighes
o our compeiors abroad.
The Solution
Te Supplying Knowledge Based Immigrans and
Lifing Levels o STEM Visas Ac(H.R. 2131), also
known as he SKILLS Visa Ac, was inroduced
by Rep. Darrell Issa on May 23, 2013 and makes
our immigraion sysem smarer by replacing
nonessenial immigraion programs wih hose
ha will make our counry more compeiive in
he global economy. Te SKILLS Visa Acwas
approved by he House Judiciary Commitee in avoe o 20-14 on June 27, 2013.
Te bill is suppored by he Consumer Elecronics
Associaion (CEA), Compee America, inSPIRE
SEM USA, he Inerne Associaion, and he
Inormaion echnology Indusry Council.
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IGRATIONPROGR
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Summary o the SKILLS Visa Act
Increases Green Cards or SEM Grads: Te
bill allocaes up o 55,000 green cards a year oremployers o peiion or oreign graduaes o U.S.
universiies wih advanced degrees in SEM elds.
Increases and Srenghens H-1B Program:
Te bill increases he H-1B visa cap or high-
skilled workers rom 65,000 o 155,000 and
increases he special pool o visas or oreign
graduaes o U.S. universiies o 40,000. Te bill
conains enhanced ani-raud provisions, beter
proecs American workers and allows H-1B
spouses o work.
Provides Job-Creaing Enrepreneur Visas:
Te bill allocaes up o 10,000 green cards a
year or alien enrepreneurs who 1) can atrac
invesmen rom venure-capial rms o esablish
businesses ha will creae a leas ve jobs or
2) have already creaed ve jobs over 10 years
hrough he E-2 reay invesor program.
Srenghens Invesor Visa Program: Te bill
srenghens he invesor visa green card program
by 1) making he regional cener pilo projec
permanen, 2) indexing invesmen requiremens
or infaion, and 3) adding ani-raud proecions.
Makes Immigraion Sysem Smarer: Te bill
repeals he diversiy lotery green card program
and he siblings o U.S. ciizens green card
program (while keeping he later program open
or 10 years so ha siblings who have been waiing
or he longes ime in he backlog can receive heir
green cards), and allocaes hese green cards o
immigrans wih skills America needs.
Eliminaes Arbirary Caps: Te bill eliminaes
he employmen-based green card per-counry
quoa sysem and raises he amily-sponsored per-
counry cap, so ha immigrans will no have owai longer jus because o heir counry o origin.
More Docors or Underserved Areas: Te
bill permanenly auhorizes he program allowing
oreign docors o work in medically underserved
areas wihou rs having o reurn home or wo
years aer heir residencies, increases he number
o slos available, and makes oher improvemens
o he program.
Increases Green Cards or Skilled Workers
and Nuclear Family Members: Te bill
allocaes an addiional 15,000 green cards a year
o boh employmen-based second preerence
(members o he proessions wih advanced degrees
and persons o excepional abiliy) and hird
preerence (skilled workers, proessionals wih
bachelors degrees and oher workers) green card
caegories and allocaes an addiional 25,000 green
cards a year o he spouses and minor children o
permanen residens in order o reduce backlogs.
Greaer Flexibiliy or Employers and
Workers: Te bill allows oreign sudens and
workers on emporary visas whose employmen-
based green card peiions have been approved o
coninue o work in he U.S. unil heir green cards
become available.
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FAST FACTWe currently select only12% o immigrants based onthe skills and education theybring to America.
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The AG Act
The Problem
Our curren emporary agriculural guesworker
program, known as he H-2A program, isunworkable or boh armers and immigrans
who wan o come here as guesworkers o use
his program. Te program exposes American
armers o cosly liigaion and burdens hem wih
excessive regulaions. In ac, he H-2A program
is so unworkable ha mos American armers
avoid using he program alogeher. Tis broken
program, coupled wih he ac ha American
armers rely on oreign labor o pick heir crops,
has increased he hiring o unlawul immigrans in
he agriculure secor. I is esimaed oday ha as
many as one million undocumened immigrans
work on American arms.
Te agriculure indusry needs reliable arm labor
and workers who wan emporary work need
access o sable, legal, emporary employmen. Is
in our naions ineres o creae a sensible way
or workers o come in on a emporary basis, llempy jobs, and reurn o heir home counries.
The Solution
On April 26, 2013, House Judiciary Commitee
Chairman Bob Goodlate inroduced heAgriculural Guesworker Ac(H.R. 1773), also
known as heAG Ac. Te Commitee approved
his bill on June 19, 2013 in a voe o 20-16.
Tis bill provides armers wih a new guesworker
program ha eases access o a lawul, agriculural
workorce ha employers may call upon when
sucien American labor canno be ound. In
conras o he curren, bureaucra-driven H-2A
program, he guesworker program creaedunder heAG Acakes a marke-based approach
by removing red ape, simpliying access o
emporary labor, and creaing a sreamlined legal
dispue resoluion sysem o resolve arm worker
concerns quickly and ecienly.
Successul guesworker programs, like he
one creaed in heAG Ac, help deer illegal
immigraion, proec he jobs o U.S. workers,
discourage he exploiaion o unauhorized
workers, and sabilize indusries. By puting
armers in he drivers sea raher han Washingon
bureaucras, hey will be beter equipped o
compee in he global economy and coninue
growing our crops.
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IGRATIONPROGR
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Summary o the AG Act
Expands he Scope o he Program o
Address More Agriculure: Te bill allows hedairy indusry and agriculural produc processors
o paricipae in he program.
Eliminaes Excessive Red ape: Te new
emporary agriculural guesworker program
creaed under he bill removes barriers and
excessive paperwork armers ace in hiring oreign
workers. Once E-Veriy is implemened or all
employers, i a grower is designaed as a regisered
agriculural employer by USDA and agrees o
he erms and obligaions o paricipaing in he
program, hen hey can easily hire guesworkers
already admited o he U.S. wihou having o le
ye anoher peiion or he individual worker. Te
new guesworker programs peiion process is
also atesaion based, meaning ha armers will
no longer ace unnecessary, governmen-imposed
red ape during he process.
Proecs Farmers rom Abusive Liigaion:
In order o discourage rivolous and abusive
liigaion agains growers, growers may require
as a condiion o employmen ha guesworkers
be subjec o binding arbiraion and mediaion
o any grievances in relaion o he employmen
relaionship. Tis bill also prevens armers using
he new guesworker program rom being sued by
Legal Services Corporaion-unded lawyers.
Enacs Marke-Based Approach o Mee
Demand and Supply: Te bill eliminaes he
aricial governmen-imposed wage rae ha
is par o he curren emporary agriculural
guesworker program and replaces i wih he
marke-based prevailing wage rae or he sae
minimum wagewhichever is greaer.
Helps American Farmers Keep Up wih
Global Compeiors: Te new guesworker
program will allow American growers o beter
compee in he global economy by removing
he exorbian coss associaed wih abusiveliigaion, excessive regulaion, and aricially high,
governmen-imposed wage raes.
Farmer Friendly: Te bill designaes he
Deparmen o Agriculure o adminiser he new
guesworker program raher han he Deparmen
o Labor. USDA is beter equipped o help armers
and beter undersands heir needs.
emporary bu Flexible: Te maximumamoun o ime a guesworker is allowed o
say in he U.S. coninuously is 18 monhs
(and 36 monhs in cerain insances) so ha is
ruly a guesworker program. Generally, he
guesworkers mus hen leave he counry or a
period o ime ha is 1/6 o he ime he or she was
working in he U.S.
Paricipaion: Under he new guesworker
program, armers can peiion or any oreignnaional wheher currenly wihin he U.S. or
abroad o come work or hem.
Proecs axpayers: Under he new program,
guesworkers are no eligible or Obamacare, he
Earned Income ax Credi, he Child ax Credi,
or oher welare programs.
IMP
ROVINGOURLEGA
LIMMIGRATIONP
ROGRAMS
2
FAST FACTIts estimated that up to onemillion illegal immigrantswork in the ag sector.
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WITH UNLAWFUL
IMMIGRANTS
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The Way Forward
The Problem
When Congress passed an immigraion overhaul
bill in 1986, Americans were promised ougherenorcemen o our immigraion laws in exchange
or he legalizaion o roughly hree million
unlawul immigrans. While he legalizaion
happened, he Execuive Branch did no keep heir
promise o enorce our immigraion laws. Since
our immigraion laws have been largely ignored
or he pas 30 years, our counry now has an
esimaed 11 million undocumened immigrans
living in he U.S. According o he Pew Research
Cener, he majoriy o hem have been living here
or more han 10 years.
The House Republican Way Forward
House Republicans are currenly discussing a way
orward on how o provide legal saus o unlawulimmigrans living in our counry. However,
he curren unlawul immigran populaion is
diverse, so he soluions may vary. For example,
while some knowingly broke our immigraion
laws, ohers were brough illegally o he U.S. as
children by heir parens. Tese children came
here hrough no aul o heir own and many o
hem know no oher home han he Unied Saes.
Unlike he Senae immigraion bill, we shouldno creae a special pahway o ciizenship or
hose who knowingly broke our immigraion
laws. Is unair o hose who have waied in line
and ollowed our immigraion rules o creae
an enirely new, currenly non-exisen pah o
ciizenship or hose who knowingly broke our
immigraion laws. Te Senae bill also provides
legalizaion beore border securiy. However, i is
imperaive ha we secure our border and enorceour immigraion laws rs.
FAIRLYDEALINGWITH
UNLAWFULIMMIGRANTS
3
3.2
8.4
9.3 9.49.7
10.4
11.111.3
12
11.6
11.1 11.211.1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1986
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Illegal Immigrants (in millions)
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How to Communicate Immigration Reorm
Key Points to Make
America is a naion o immigrans, bu we are also
a naion o laws. Immigraion reorm mus honorboh our hisory as a naion o immigrans and
our oundaional principles grounded in he rule
o law.
We need commonsense immigraion reorm so
ha our laws work and he sysem works. We need
soluions ha are responsible, realisic, consisen,
and air.
House Republicans undersand he imporanceo reorming our naions immigraion laws and
are aking a sep-by-sep approach o solve he
problems wihin our immigraion sysem.
Immigraion reorm is oo complex and imporan
o no examine each piece in deail. Whaever is
ulimaely voed on in he House mus go hrough
he radiional legislaive process.
Any immigraion reorm proposal mus rssrenghen border securiy and he enorcemen
o our immigraion laws, improve our legal
immigraion programs, and nd a way o airly
deal wih hose living unlawully in he U.S.
Over he pas six monhs, he House Judiciary
Commitee convened nearly a dozen hearings
on immigraion and approved our pieces o
legislaion ha improve our immigraion sysem.
Te House Judiciary Commitee approved he
SAFE Ac, a bill designed o srenghen he inerior
enorcemen o our immigraion laws.
Te House Judiciary Commitee also approved
heLegal Workorce Ac. Tis bill requires he
use o E-Veriy naionwide and helps employers
deermine who is lawully here and who can
accep employmen.
In addiion, he House Judiciary Commitee
approved heAG Ac, which creaes a new
guesworker program ha provides Americanarmers wih access o a reliable, lawul workorce.
Lasly, he House Judiciary Commitee approved
he SKILLS Visa Ac. Tis bill allows hardworking,
smar immigrans o come o he U.S. so ha hey
creae jobs or American workers and make us
more compeiive in he global economy.
Tese immigraion bills are being considered
hrough an open process in which membershave he opporuniy o ully ve hem and
oer improvemens hrough amendmens. We
welcome all ideas and suggesions o improve our
immigraion sysem.
While he Senae has passed legislaion, he
House will coninue o work is will by passing
our own legislaion. Ta is he American
legislaive process.
Immigraion reorm is no a race; i s abou
geting i righ.
PRE
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4
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4 Talking Points: Top 10 Concerns About Senate Bill
#1: Unconsiuional: Te Senae immigraion
bill is a revenue-raising bill, which makes i
unconsiuional. Specically, he bill conains
a wide range o eecs on ederal revenues,
including changes in collecions o income and
payroll axes, cerain visa ees ha are classied
as revenues, and various nes and penalies.
Language in he U.S. Consiuion requires ha
any bill ha raises revenue, also known as a ax,
mus originae in he House o Represenaives,
no he Senae.
#2: Legalizaion Beore Border Securiy: Sixmonhs rom he bills enacmen, he Secreary o
Homeland Securiy mus submi a border securiy
plan. Once his plan is submitedmeaning ha
he border does no have o be secureunlawul
immigrans can hen apply or legal saus, which
is called regisered provisional saus (RPI).
Adjusmen rom RPI saus o Lawul Permanen
Residen (LPR) saus can begin when he
border securiy plan is deployed, he border ence
and elecronic vericaion sysem have been
implemened, he exi sysem is being used, and
38,405 Border Parol agens have been deployed
on he Souhwes border. Tis means ha nohing
has o be ully implemened beore legalizaion
and here are no assurances ha he border
has o be secure. Addiionally, he Secreary o
Homeland Securiy can ignore hese requiremens
aer 10 years o liigaion or a Supreme Cour
ruling has prevened hese riggers rombeing implemened.
#3: Lack o Border Securiy: Under he
Schumer-Hoeven-Corker Amendmen, he so-
called border surge amendmen, approximaely
38,405 Border Parol agens will be deployed,
mainained, and saioned along he Souhwes
border. However, he agens do no have o
be deployed beore 2021, which is well aer
legalizaion akes place. Under he provision,
DHSs goal in allocaing he addiional Border
Parol agens o airpors shall be o reduce wai
imes, no o enorce immigraion law, apprehend
illegal immigrans, seize illegal conraband, or
improve naional securiy. Tis is hardly aborder surge.
#4: Inerior Enorcemen is Virually
Nonexisen: Under he Senae immigraion bill,
he inerior enorcemen o our immigraion laws
would be compleely guted. Specically
PresidentStillHasOn/OSwitch:
Te Senae bill does no ake away he
immigraion enorcemen on/o swichrom he Presiden. Te House enorcemen
bill (SAFE Ac) does his by graning saes
he auhoriy o enorce he laws in he uure.
EnforcementFreeZones: Te bill allows he
Secreary o DHS o designae enorcemen
ree areas where no immigraion aciviy can
ake place.
HaltsImmigrationEnforcement:Creaes an
immigraion enorcemen holiday where noenorcemen acions will occur or wo and a
hal years.
CountlessWaivers:Under he Senae bill,
wherever enorcemen is menioned, here
is a waiver auhoriy delegaed o he
Secreary o DHS, repeaing many o he
same problems we have oday wih he lack
o immigraion enorcemen.
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4#5: Won End Illegal Immigraion: Despie
all he money being spen in he bill ha is
supposed o secure our porous borders, he
Congressional Budge Oce has said ha he
Senae immigraion bill will only reduce illegal
immigraion by one-hird o one-hal.
#6: Special Pahway o Ciizenship: Te
Senae bill creaes an enirely new, currenly
nonexisen pah o ciizenship or illegal
immigrans. Also, he Senae bill decreases he
ime required or mos immigrans o apply or
nauralizaion rom ve o hree years.
#7: Endangers Our Communiies: Under he
Senae immigraion bill, he Secreary o DHS is
provided wih broad auhoriy o waive criminal
conduc, including gang aliaions, elony arress,
and muliple misdemeanor convicions. Te bill
allows he Secreary o waive background checks,
does no require dangerous criminal aliens o
be deained, and makes i easier or persecuors
and human righs abusers o obain immigraionbenes. Te bill also allows criminal immigrans
o coninue o commi and be conviced o
criminal oenses aer receiving provisional legal
saus, as long as he individuals convicions
remain below he eligibiliy hreshold. In addiion,
he bill allows hose wih muliple convicions o
ener, remain, and no be subjec o deenion in
he U.S.
#8: Releases Criminals Back ono he Srees:
Curren law requires cerain criminal immigrans
who are in he process o being depored o
be deained in order o proec he American
people. However, he Senae bill undermines his
commonsense requiremen and insead allows
dangerous criminals o be released back ono
our srees, only o be moniored by advocacy
organizaions.
#9: Unworkable Ag Guesworker Program:
Te Senae immigraion bill conains an
unworkable agriculural guesworker program hawould subjec armers o unnecessary regulaions
and excessive liigaion.
#10: Conains Slush Fund or Liberal
Acivis Groups: Under he Senae bill, new
gran programs are creaed ha could provide
$150 million dollars o liberal acivis groups
like La Raza, Casa de Maryland, and he
American Immigraion Lawyers Associaion.
Tese axpayer-unded grans are provided oorganizaions wihou any audi or oversigh
provisions in order o promoe he new special
pahway o ciizenship hough public inormaion
campaigns, o help unlawul immigrans apply
or new immigraion benes, and o provide any
oher assisance considered useul o unlawul
immigrans in he process.
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4 Sample Op-ed
Nearly everyone agrees ha we need o x
our naions broken immigraion sysem. Te
way or Congress o remedy his problem is
o mehodically look a each o he various
componens ha need o be xed and ake any
nal bill hrough he radiional legislaive process.
Immigraion reorm is oo imporan and complex
o no examine each piece in deail.
By aking a sep-by-sep approach, Congress isable o refec on pas legislaive misakes and
avoid making similar ones in he uure. For
example, nearly 30 years ago Congress passed and
Presiden Reagan signed ino law he Immigraion
Reorm and Conrol Ac o 1986, assuring he
American people ha i would x our immigraion
sysem. We were promised ougher enorcemen
in exchange or he legalizaion o roughly hree
million people. Bu hese promises were never
kep and our immigraion laws remain broken.
Te ailed atemp o pass a massive immigraion
bill in 2007 also poins o he need or a sep-by-
sep approach under he normal legislaive process
o hearings, markups, and a nal voe. Te auhors
o ha bill ook a op-down approach raher
han saring rom he ground up and examining
each individual componen. Consequenly, once
hidden deails and uninended consequences o
he bill came o ligh, he American people largely
opposed i and he bill ailed. Te American
people wan o know how Congress plans o avoid
hese similar oucomes his ime.
Boh he House and he Senae recognize he
imporance o reorming our naions immigraion
sysem and ha is why boh chambers are acively
pursuing a soluion o his issue. While is rue
ha many in he House, including mysel, are
concerned ha he Senaes nearly 900-page bill
repeas some o he same misakes o he pas,
were hopeul ha we can produce beter soluions.
Te House Judiciary Commitee, which I chair,has held numerous hearings on our immigraion
laws and we have already inroduced several sand-
alone bills ha address paricular issues wihin our
immigraion sysem. We plan o build upon his
work o build consensus on hese imporan issues
in he weeks and monhs ahead. Tis process o
regular order allows every represenaive o ully
ve he issues and provides he opporuniy o
have he voices o he Sixh Congressional Disric
and olks across he naion heard.
Immigraion reorm is no an easy ask, ye
a soluion is no ou o reach. By aking a
mehodical approach o hese issues, i will help us
cra beter legislaion ha will bene Americans
and provide a workable immigraion sysem. Tis
will ensure we ge immigraion reorm righ his
ime so ha we don have he same problems in
he uure.
Congressman Bob Goodlate represens he Sixh
Congressional Disric o Virginia and is chairman o
he House Judiciary Commitee.
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4Sample Script or Website Video
Make a Video to Explain the Houses
Approach to Immigration Reorm
Righ now Congress is engaged in a momenousdebae on immigraion reorm. Nearly everyone
agrees ha we need o x our naions broken
immigraion sysem bu he House and Senae are
aking wo very dieren approaches o solving
his complex issue. While he Senae has passed
a massive bill ha conains many problemaic
provisions, he House is aking a sep-by-sep
approach so ha we careully and mehodically
review each componen o immigraion reorm in
deail. We wan o produce beter soluions so ha
we have a workable immigraion sysem or he
years o come.
Te way orward on immigraion reorm is much
like buying a new home. You wouldn buy a new
home or your amily by jus surveying i rom he
ouside. You would go room by room, conducing
a horough inspecion, and examine he
oundaion o ensure ha i will keep your homeon solid ooing. You would look or any faws and
deermine i hey could be correced beore you
nalize he purchase. Tas he common sense
approach. And he same should be said or any
immigraion reorm legislaion has produced
by Congress.
Hisory poins o he need or his sep-by-sep
approach. By now, weve all learned wha happens
when Congress rushes legislaion and bypasseshe American legislaive process. In 2010, he
House jammed he 2,700-page Obamacare bill
hrough Congress wihou a single hearing or
markup on he bill ha was ulimaely signed
ino law. Americans are now suck wih he
consequences o his hasy decisionhigher
premiums, more axes, over 20,000 pages in new
regulaions, and overall bad policy.
A sep-by-sep approach is also imporan
because i allows Congress o refec on pas
legislaive misakes and avoid making similar ones
in he uure. For example, nearly 30 years ago
Congress passed an immigraion overhaul bill,
assuring he American people ha i would x our
immigraion sysem. We were promised ougher
enorcemen in exchange or he legalizaion o
roughly hree million people. Bu hese promises
were never kep and we are sill living wih he
misakes o his law. Te American people wan
o know how Congress plans o avoid his similar
oucome in he curren debae surroundingimmigraion reorm.
Te House o Represenaives has aken care o
make sure we don repea hisory s misakes.
Since he beginning o he year, he House
Judiciary Commitee has convened nearly a dozen
hearings on immigraion, ocusing on he hree
areas o our immigraion laws ha need o be xed,
and has approved our bills. Any immigraion
reorm bill mus improve our legal immigraion
programs, srenghen border securiy and he
inerior enorcemen o our immigraion laws, and
nd a way o airly deal wih hose who live in he
U.S. unlawully.
By aking a sep-by-sep approach o immigraion
reorm, we will help ensure ha he end resul is a
real soluion ha will x our broken immigraion
sysem or good. We mus no rush o legislaewe need o horoughly examine each componen
so ha we avoid pas misakes. Immigraion
reorm isn a race; raher, is abou geting i righ.
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GroverNorquist,PresidentofAmericansforTaxR
eform:
Itismybeliethatapositioninavoromorelegalimmigrationandaa
irand
humanepathtocitizenshiporthoseundocumente
dimmigrantsalreadyhereis
whollyconsistentwiththeidealsothecenter-right
movementIhaveworkedmy
entirelietohelpbuild.Ibelievethatreemarketsle
adtoeconomicgrowthand
prosperityorall.Tisincludesreeandfexiblelabo
rmarkets,whichwillbenetnot
onlythosewhowishtocomeheretopursuetheAm
ericanDream,butalsothoseo
usblessedenoughtohavebeenbornintheUnitedS
tatesoAmerica.
Dr. Russell Moore, President, EthicsandReligious LibertyCommissionoftheSouthern BaptistConvention:
Evangelicalsunderstandthat ourbrokensystem is a moralissue; thisisntjustalegalissue, it isnta political issue oraneconomicissueonly. Its amoral issue andits beenastainonourcountryfortoo long. Nowisthetimeforthe countryto cometogetherforanimmigration system thatrespectsthe God-givenhumandignityofeveryperson.
JoinleterfromAmericanAcionForum,
AmericansforTaxReform,andAmericanConservaiveUnion:
WeurgeheHouse oakeupacomprehensivepackageoimmigraion
reormsbeionebillormanyhasecuresourborder,increaseshelega
l
fowoworkers,anddealssensiblywihheundocumenedpopulaion.
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What Conservative Groups Are Saying
RollCall,April2,2013:
ClubforGrowthand FreedomWorkstoSitOutImmigrationFight