Text 4626, 223 rader
Skriven 2007-05-18 23:32:26 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0705184) for Fri, 2007 May 18
====================================================

===========================================================================
Myth/Fact: Ten Key Myths About the Border Security and Immigration Reform
Agreement
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary May 18, 2007

Myth/Fact: Ten Key Myths About the Border Security and Immigration Reform
Agreement

ÿÿWhite House News


1. MYTH: This is amnesty.
  þ 

    FACT: Amnesty is the forgiveness of an offense without penalty. This
    proposal is not amnesty because illegal workers must acknowledge that
    they broke the law, pay a $1,000 fine, and undergo criminal background
    checks to obtain a Z visa granting temporary legal status.
  þ 

    FACT: To apply for a green card at a date years into the future, Z visa
    workers must wait in line behind those who applied lawfully, pay an
    additional $4,000 fine, complete accelerated English requirements,
    leave the U.S. and file their application in their home country, and
    demonstrate merit based on the skills and attributes they will bring to
    the United States.
  þ 

    FACT: Workers approved for Z visas will be given a temporary legal
    status, but they will not enjoy the full privileges of citizens or
    Legal Permanent Residents, such as welfare benefits and the ability to
    sponsor relatives abroad as immigrants.

2. MYTH: This proposal repeats the mistakes of the 1986 Immigration Reform
and Control Act.
  þ 

    FACT: The 1986 Act failed because it provided amnesty for 3 million
    immigrants, did not adequately secure borders, did not include a
    workable employer verification system, and created no legal avenue to
    meet the labor needs of the American economy.
  þ 

    FACT: This proposal addresses every one of the shortcomings from 1986:
      þ 

        No Amnesty: Illegal workers must acknowledge that they broke the
        law and pay a fine to be eligible for a Z visa.
      þ 

        Border Security: Border security benchmarks must be met before the
        Z visa and temporary worker programs go into effect. These triggers
        include: constructing 370 miles of fencing and 200 miles of vehicle
        barriers at the border and increasing the size of the Border Patrol
        to 18,000 agents.
      þ 

        Employer Verification System: An Employment Eligibility
        Verification System must be ready to process new hires before the Z
        visa and temporary worker programs go into effect.
      þ 

        Temporary Worker Program: A temporary worker program will relieve
        pressure on the border and provide a lawful way to meet the needs
        of our economy.
  þ 

    FACT: The 1986 Act offered green cards after just 18 months, but under
    this proposal, green card applicants must meet a number of
    responsibilities _ something which will take most candidates more than
    a decade.

3. MYTH: The government will not and cannot meet its promise to crack down
on the hiring of illegal workers.
  þ 

    FACT: Before the Z visa and temporary worker programs go into effect,
    an Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) must be in place
    and ready to prevent unauthorized workers from obtaining jobs in the
    United States.
  þ 

    FACT: Employers will be required to verify the work eligibility of all
    employees using the EEVS, and all workers will be required to present
    stronger and more readily verifiable identification documents. Tough
    new anti-fraud measures will be implemented to restrict fraud and
    identity theft.
  þ 

    FACT: Employers who hire illegal workers will face stiff new criminal
    and civil penalties. For example, the maximum criminal penalty for a
    pattern or practice of hiring illegals will increase 25-fold, from
    $3,000 per alien to $75,000 per alien.

4. MYTH: This proposal would cut in half the amount of fence authorized by
the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
  þ 

    FACT: The Secure Fence Act of 2006 _ which authorized the construction
    of hundreds of miles of additional fencing; more vehicle barriers,
    checkpoints, and lighting; and increased use of advanced technology _
    will remain unchanged.
  þ 

    FACT: At least half of the additional fencing authorized by the Secure
    Fence Act must be built before the temporary worker program and Z visa
    could go into effect.

5. MYTH: The trigger period will cause a rush to the border.
  þ 

    FACT: To be eligible to apply for a Z visa, illegal immigrants must
    prove they were in the country prior to January 1, 2007.
  þ 

    FACT: Anyone caught crossing the border after the new law passes will
    be fingerprinted and permanently barred from receiving work or tourist
    visas from the U.S., creating a strong disincentive to illegal
    immigration.

6. MYTH: By providing an opportunity for citizenship to illegal immigrants
already here, the bill will exponentially increase extended-family chain
migration.
  þ 

    FACT: The proposal reforms our immigration system to create a new
    balance between family connections and our national interests and
    economic needs.
  þ 

    FACT: Visas for parents of U.S. citizens are being capped, while visas
    for siblings and adult children are eliminated.
  þ 

    FACT: To help keep our economy competitive, a new merit-based system
    similar to those used by other countries will give preference to
    attributes that further our national interest such as: job offers in
    high-demand fields, ability to speak English, and education.

7. MYTH: The temporary worker program is bad for American workers.
  þ 

    FACT: The temporary worker program relieves pressure on the border and
    meets our economic needs by allowing workers to enter the country to
    fill jobs that Americans are not doing.
  þ 

    FACT: The program protects American workers by requiring U.S. employers
    to advertise the job in the United States at a competitive wage before
    hiring a temporary worker.
  þ 

    FACT: To ensure "temporary" means "temporary," workers are limited to
    three two-year terms, with at least a year spent outside the United
    States between each term.
  þ 

    FACT: A cap of 400,000 is set on the program, which can be adjusted up
    or down in the future depending on demand.

8. MYTH: Illegal immigrants will come out of the shadows and on to the
welfare rolls.
  þ 

    FACT: Z visa workers are not entitled to welfare, Food Stamps, SSI,
    non-emergency Medicaid, or other programs and privileges enjoyed by
    U.S. citizens and some Legal Permanent Residents.
  þ 

    FACT: In order to apply for and maintain Z visa status, workers must
    remain employed.

9. MYTH: Government agencies will not be able to share information to
pursue immigration violators.
  þ 

    FACT: Under this proposal, there will be unprecedented information
    sharing between Federal, State, and local agencies to ensure that
    immigration laws are respected and enforced.
  þ 

    FACT: The new Employment Eligibility Verification System, which
    employers will be required to use for all employees, will rely on
    unprecedented information sharing across Federal and State databases,
    including Social Security records, passport and visa records, and State
    driver's licenses.
  þ 

    FACT: For Z visa applicants, DHS has authority to share information
    with law enforcement about terrorist aliens, security risks, and
    criminal aliens, including aliens who lie on their applications and
    aliens who commit fraud.
  þ 

    FACT: Under this proposal, DHS will receive Social Security
    Administration "no match" information on individuals and information on
    multiple uses of the same social security number by more than one
    individual.

10. MYTH: Senators are being asked to vote Monday on a lengthy bill that
they will not have time to read.
  þ 

    FACT: Monday's vote is only a procedural vote to bring the bill to the
    floor for debate, not a vote on the bill itself.
  þ 

    FACT: This bill is the product of months of extraordinary negotiations
    between Senators from both parties and Cabinet-level officials.

ÿ

ÿ

# # #
===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070518-4.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)