An Alternate Immigration Reform Plan

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Senator Salazar (D, Colorado) has been suggested that those who opposed the immigration reform bills initiated by the U.S. Senate in 2006 and 2007 should come forward with their own plan. Here is one such plan with the provisions listed in priority order. Some of these provisions may be incorporated in the same bill but in general to keep the bills to a reasonable length and understandable to all, separate bills would be preferable but with the effectivity of each contingent on the enactment of each preceding bill of higher priority.

1. Strong border control and enforcement as outlined in HR 4437 (Sensenbrenner) and further elaborated in S.1639

a. Completion of all infrastructure improvements to include improved roads, fences, electronic and aerial surveillance

b. Results-oriented triggers for other immigration reform provisions.

(1) A reduction in the illegal population.

(2) A reduction in the number of border apprehensions.

c. Disincentives and sanctions (see below)

2. An end to 14th amendment abuses and chain immigrations

a. Incorporate the provisions of the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2007 (Introduced in House)[H.R.1940.IH

b. Suspend birthright citizenship for children until their 18th birthday.

3. Incorporate the provisions of the S.I. Hayakawa Official English Language Act of 2007 (Introduced in Senate)

a. Repeal E.O. 13166

b. Provide a Public Interpreter for anyone who cannot afford one.

c. Allow health care facilities and others to bill for interpreter services.

4. Simplify the H-2A visa application procedure for guest agricultural and ski resort workers

a. Limit the number of visas issued to the demonstrated need.

b. No arbitrary limit

c. Number of visas issued should be unrelated to the number of illegals already present.

5. Disincentives and Sanctions

a. Expeditious immigration decisions and appeals.

b. Self or voluntary deportations reclassified as involuntary.

c. Minor children must accompany parents under removal orders.

d. Jail time for repeat offenders.

e. Escalating penalties for those who employ illegals or who aid them or give them sanctuary.

f. Employer accountability for illegals in their employ whether they were hired knowingly or unknowingly.

g. Withhold federal funds from cities that declare themselves to be sanctuary cities or that fail to provide full police cooperation with the ICE in identifying and detaining illegal aliens

6. American labor protection provision

a. All jobs currently held by illegal aliens to be re-advertisement at a fair wage and a hiring preference for citizens.

b. Fair wage to be determined by local unions and U.S. Department of Labor based on historical data adjusted for ensuing inflation.

c. Expeditious repatriation of all illegals who are replaced with American workers through this re-advertisement process. Register and issue IDs to those illegals who survive this process.

d. A mandatory workplace immigration status verification system for all workers not just new hires.

e. No more than one month to resolve social security number and name mismatches.

7. Mandatory employer family health insurance coverage for all foreign workers.

a. Authority for health care facilities and providers to bill employers for any unpaid medical expenses of their foreign employees.

b. Construction of triage and obstetrical care hospitals south of the border at all border crossings; costs to be shared by Mexico and the U.S.

c. Once their conditions are stabilized, illegals will be transported to one of these hospitals.

d. Hospitals to be staffed by Mexican physicians and nurses and volunteers.

e. Standby helicopters and ambulances to enable patients to be quickly delivered to hospitals.

f. Pregnant women are prohibited from entering the U.S. under any circumstances; babies born of violators will be issued a temporary birth certificate showing the citizenship of the child as that of the mother.

8. Interior enforcement

a. Enabling legislation to permit local and state jurisdictions to charge illegal aliens with criminal trespass and to deny them housing, jobs, welfare, etc. and to enact such other measures as may be deemed necessary to reduce or eliminate the illegal population.

b. As a condition of federal support, state and local law enforcement officers are required to detain any law violators for a determination of immigration status by the ICE; no catch and release.

c. Construction of more detention facilities along illegal immigration routes.

d. More immigration judges stationed in these detention facilities to expedite removal proceedings.

e. Immediate deportation of all visas overstays.

9. Tamperproof, biometric photo IDs with thumb prints for all legal foreign workers

10. Strict criteria for immigration appeals

a. Time limit of one week for appeals.

b. Appeal criteria

(1) Credit to the community

(2) Children over the age of 8 in U.S. schools

(3) Testimonials from fellow workers of a different ethnicity

(4) Evidence of social integration

(5) Evidence of cultural and linguistic assimilation

(a) Participation in community-based English language instruction.

11. A reduction in immigration quotas or visas of all kinds, except tourist visas, to a maximum of 200,000 per year

a. Priority for those who already speak English or who have skills not available in sufficient numbers in the domestic work force.

b. A national objective of a stable population within 20 years.

c. A soft landing for our economy

12. Permanent disbarment from a pathway to citizenship for anyone who voted in any election illegally, entered the U.S. illegally, or overstayed his visa contrary to law.

13. Registration of all illegal aliens; involuntary removal at their own expense or that of their employers of all who do not register within six weeks

14. Foreign workers must be paid not less than the median wage of citizens doing the same kind of work with equal experience

15. The ability to read, write and speak English as a condition of citizenship and voting rights.