Senate Offers Compromise Aimed at Immigration Reform
Senate lawmakers announced May 17 that they had struck a deal that could break the current impasse that is preventing immigration reform from moving forward. But many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle remain skeptical that the new agreement can break the stalemate over the state of the nation’s current immigration system.
The compromise includes provisions to strengthen border controls and to create a temporary guest worker program that would limit employment to three two-year terms, with at least a year spent outside the United States between each term. Illegal immigrants in this country already could apply for a “Z” visa that would allow them to remain in the United States for a specified length of time and eventually apply for a green card after paying fines and undergoing a background and criminal record check.