Tag: Immigration reform (page 8)

The Senate has reached a deal with the White House on immigration reform.

The proposed agreement would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a "Z visa" and — after paying fees and a $5,000 fine and returning to their home countries — ultimately get on track for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years.

They could come forward right away to claim a probationary card that would let them live and work legally in the U.S., but could not begin the path to permanent residency or citizenship until border security improvements and a high-tech worker identification program were completed.

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Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo continues to ratchet up the immigration debate with ridiculous hyperboles. His latest, in Arizona yesterday:

Presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo told supporters gathered at a private ranch here Friday that American culture, as well as the fate of western civilization, is being threatened by illegal immigration.

....“There’s an issue that is so much broader than all that, so much more serious. It is the issue of our culture itself, and whether we will survive.”

Then, he warned his audience that what happened at an elementary school in 2004 in Beslan, Russia, ("where Islamic terrorists from Chechnya killed more than 300 people") could happen here:

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Massive immigrant rights demonstrators will take to the streets of our major cities again on May Day.

Where last year's marches took aim at federal legislation that would have made assisting illegal immigrants a felony, this year's May 1 march will call for a moratorium on workplace immigration raids that have occurred nationwide in recent months, organizers said.

Demonstrators also will demand that U.S. citizenship be opened to the country's estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants, an element in several competing proposals introduced this year in Congress.

Activists say this year could see even bigger turnouts.

"The difference this year is that we now have the infrastructure in place. People are easier to reach and they only have to ask: Where and what time?"

CBS reports on the looming April 15 tax deadline. Yes, immigrants who are in the U.S. without proper documentation also pay taxes.

In 2005, the IRS received almost 8 million W-2 forms that didn't match social security numbers. It is believed that the majority of these, coming from Texas, California, Florida and Illinois which have large immigrant populations, represented wages earned by the undocumented.

You don't need a Social Security number to file tax returns. All you need is a TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number.)

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As President Bush turns his attention to immigration reform this week, his plans to overtax the undocumented drew thousands in protest this weekend.

As to his plan:

The White House's draft plan, leaked last week, calls for a new "Z" visa that would allow illegal immigrant workers to apply for three-year work permits. They would be renewable indefinitely, but would cost $3,500 each time.

Then to become legal permanent residents, illegal immigrants would have to return to their home country, apply at a U.S. Embassy or consulate to re-enter legally and pay a $10,000 fine.

In plain English, what's the difference between Bush and a coyote?

"Charging that much, Bush is going to be even more expensive than the coyotes," said Armando Garcia, 50, referring to smugglers who transport people across the Mexican border. "He will become the No. 1 coyote."