Everyone’s been talking about immigration reform, what would it look like, when will it happen. Just this week, Senators Menendez and Leahy introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) Act of 2010 in Congress. Here are some key provisions of what is proposed in the bill:
Increased Border Enforcement including the hiring of 1,000 new ICE investigators each fiscal year, 250 new CBP officers at new ports of entry, and $300 million towards infrastructure improvements along the Northern and Southern borders
Increased Interior Enforcement aimed at the prevention of unauthorized entries and removal with fines and criminal penalties for reentry of previously removed aliens
Worksite Enforcement creating a mandatory employment verification system within 5 years and within 2 years, the creation of fraud-resistant, tamper resistant, and wear-resistant social security cards
Reform of America’s Overall Immigration System establishing a new worker program through a standing commission on immigration, labor markets and the national interest and for family immigration reform aimed at reducing backlogs and fully incorporating the United American Families Act for equal treatment for permanent partners
Legalization of Undocumented Individuals: creating a provisional legal status for those present in the US as of September 30, 2010 , who have never committed a crime and are otherwise admissible to the United States
This version of CIR has yet to be debated in Congress. Check back soon for developments on CIR 2010. –ecf