The Senates Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill PDF Download

Democratic leaders in Congress have been negotiating with their Republic counterparts and the Bush administration to craft a proposal to address the growing problem of illegal immigration. In the previous Republican Congress, the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill in May 2006, bu the effort died in the House. With Democrats now in charge of Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has stated his intention to schedule two weeks of debate on immigration reform in coming days. Congress and the president should seize this opportunity to fix our nation's dysfunctional immigration system in a way that guards our security, enhances our market economy, and upholds our ideals as a nation. According to the most widely accepted estimates, about 12 million foreign-born people are living in the United States without authorization, and that number is growing by 400,000 to 500,000 a year. Any lasting solution to the challenge of illegal immigration must recognize the important contribution that immigrants have made and continue to make to the success of America's free-market economy. To succeed, comprehensive reform must accommodate the legitimate need of American employers to hire the workers they require to meet the demands of their customers. Reform must also address the legitimate expectation that the rule of law will be respected and that illegal immigration will be replaced by legal immigration. The challenge for Congress and the president is to enact a comprehensive reform of U.S. immigration laws that is not only politically stable but also consistent with the realities of the American labor market.