immigration resource kit

8/22/2019 Immigration Resource Kit

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House Committee on the Judiciary

Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)

IMMIGRATIONRESOURCE KIT

August 2013


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Table o Contents

STRENGTHENING BORDER SECURITY

& INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT 5

The SAFE Act 6

The Legal Workorce Act 8

The Border Security Results Act 10

IMPROVING OUR LEGAL

IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS 11

The SKILLS Visa Act 12

The AG Act 14

FAIRLY DEALING WITH

UNLAWFUL IMMIGRANTS 16

The Way Forward 17

PRESS MATERIALS 18

How to Communicate Immigration Reorm 19

Talking Points: Top 10 Concerns About Senate Bill 20

Sample Op-ed 22

Sample Script or Website Video 23

Committee Contacts

The House Judiciary Committee

is eager to help you communicate

the importance o immigrationreorm to your constituents.

Below are key Committee

contacts on immigration issues.

Immigration and

Border Security Subcommittee

Main Line: (202) 225-3926

George Fishman

Chie Immigration Counsel

[email protected]

Andrea Loving

Deputy Chie Immigration Counsel

[email protected]

Dimple Shah

Immigration Oversight [email protected]

Press Ofce

Main Line: (202) 225-3951

Kathryn Rexrode

Communications Director

[email protected]

Jessica Collins

Press Secretary

[email protected]


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Augus 2013

DearRepublicanColleague:

Congress iscurrenlyengagedina momenousdebae onimmigraion.Near

lyeveryoneagreesha we

needoxournaionsbrokenimmigraion sysemandsecureheborder,bu

heHouseandSenaeare

akingwoverydierenapproaches osolvinghiscomplexissue. Whileh

e Senaehaspasseda massive

billha conainsmanyproblemaic provisions,heHouseis aking asep-by

-sep approachsoha we

careullyandmehodicallyrevieweachcomponenoimmigraion reormin

deail.Wewan o produce

betersoluionssohahe endresul isa workableimmigraion sysemor

heyearso come.

Tissep-by-sepapproach willhelpusgeim

migraion reormrighbymaking sureweavoidhe

misakesohe pas.Forexample, nearly30yearsago Congresspassed andPresiden Reagansignedino

lawhe ImmigraionReormand Conrol Ac o1986,assuringheAmerica

npeople haiwould xour

immigraionsysem. We werepromisedougher enorcemen inexchange or

helegalizaion oroughly

hreemillionpeople bu hesepromiseswere no kepandour immigraio

nlawsremainbroken.Te

American peoplewano knowhowCongress plans oavoid hissimilarouc

omeinhecurren debae

surrounding immigraionreorm.

Anyimmigraionreormbillneeds orssrenghenborder securiyandh

einerior enorcemen oour

immigraionlaws, improveourlegalimmigraionprograms, and nd awayo

airlydealwih unlawul

immigrans. Aspar oour sep-by-sepappro

ach,heHouseJudiciaryCommiteehasheldnumerous

educaionalbriengsor MembersoCongresssincehebeginningoheyearonour immigraionlaws,

convenednearlyadozenhearings onimmigraion, and approvedseveral bill

s haaddressspecicissues

wihinourimmigraionsysem.However, ourworkisno yenished.

Tis recesspacke has beenpu ogehero helpyoucommunicaeoyour co

nsiuensheimporanceo

immigraion reormandheHouseRepublicanplanoproducesoluionsha

acuallyxhe problems

ha plagueourimmigraionsysem.TeCommitee welcomes yourinsigha

ndinpu aswe move

orwardogeher onhisimporan issue.Pleasedono hesiaeoconac m

eormysaiyouneed

anyhingasweworkowardourgoaloa workableimmigraion sysem.

Sincerely,

Bob Goodlate

Chairman

HouseCommiteeonhe Judiciary


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IMMIGRATION RESOURCE KIT

STRENGTHENING

BORDER SECURITY

& INTERIOR

ENFORCEMENT


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6 | IMMIGRATION RESOURCE KIT

The SAFE Act

Background

Successul immigraion reorm mus address

eecive inerior enorcemen o our immigraionlaws. Tis is an inegral piece o he puzzle. We

can jus be xaed on securing he border, which

undoubedly is an issue o paramoun concern.

We mus also ocus on inerior enorcemen,

or more precisely wha o do wih unlawul

immigrans who make i pas he border and

legal immigrans who violae he erms o heir

visas and hus become unlawully presen in he

U.S. In ac, is esimaed ha 30-40% o illegalimmigrans currenly living in he U.S. came here

legally and hen oversayed heir visas. Any real

immigraion reorm eor mus guaranee ha our

laws will be enorced.

The Problem

One reason why our immigraion sysem

is broken oday is because he presen and

pas adminisraions have largely ignoredhe enorcemen o our immigraion laws.

Under Presiden Obamas Adminisraion, he

Deparmen o Homeland Securiy sopped he

deporaion o cerain caegories o unlawul

immigrans alogeher. I we wan o avoid

he misakes o he pas, we canno allow he

Presiden o coninue shuting down ederal

immigraion enorcemen eors unilaerally.

The Solution

On June 6, 2013, Immigraion and Border

Securiy Subcommitee Chairman rey Gowdyinroduced he Srenghen and Foriy Enorcemen

Ac(H.R. 2278), also known as he SAFE Ac. Te

House Judiciary Commitee approved his bill on

June 18, 2013 by a voe o 20-15.

Te SAFE Acimproves he inerior enorcemen

o our immigraion laws by prevening he

Execuive Branch rom urning o ederal

enorcemen eors unilaerally. Te bill

accomplishes his by graning saes and localiieshe auhoriy o enorce ederal immigraion

laws. Te bill srenghens naional securiy by

increasing border securiy, making i more dicul

or oreign naionals who pose a naional securiy

risk o ener and remain in he U.S., improving

visa securiy in high risk counries, and proecing

American communiies rom dangerous

criminal aliens.

Te bill is suppored by he Naional Immigraion

and Cusoms Enorcemen Council, he Wesern

Saes Sheri s Associaion, and he Naional

Associaion o Former Border Parol Ocers.

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FAST FACT30-40% o illegal immigrantscame here legally butoverstayed their visas.


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JUDICIARY.HOUSE.GOV | 7

Summary o the SAFE Act

Grans Saes and Localiies he Auhoriy

o Enorce Immigraion Laws: Presidens oboh paries had oo much laiude o reuse o

enorce our immigraion laws. Tis bill removes

he abiliy o he Presiden o unilaerally shu

down enorcemen eors by graning saes and

localiies specic congressional auhorizaion o

assis in he enorcemen o ederal immigraion

law and includes provisions o aciliae heir

assisance. I also allows saes and localiies o

enac and enorce heir own immigraion laws

as long as hey are consisen wih ederal law. In

addiion, he bill wihholds specic grans rom

sancuary ciies ha dey ederal immigraion

enorcemen eors.

Srenghens Naional Securiy: Te bill makes

i more dicul or oreign erroriss and oher

oreign naionals who pose naional securiy

concerns o ener and remain in he Unied

Saes. O noe, he bill bars oreign erroriss orremovable immigrans who hreaen naional

securiy rom receiving immigraion benes,

such as nauralizaion and discreionary relie

rom removal, among oher hings. Te bill

also requires ha no immigraion benes may

be provided o immigrans unil all required

background and securiy checks are compleed.

Proecs American Communiies rom

Dangerous Criminal Aliens: Te bill proecshe American public by aciliaing and expediing

he removal o criminal aliens. In he insance a

dangerous criminal immigran canno be removed

rom he U.S., he bill allows DHS o deain hem.

I also keeps our srees sae by providing or

mandaory deenion o unlawul immigrans who

have been conviced o DUIs.

Improves Visa Securiy: Te bill improves

our naions rs line o deense, he visa issuance

process. Te bill expands he Visa Securiy

Program o addiional high risk poss, srenghens

he inegriy o he suden visa program, and

auhorizes DHS and he Sae Deparmen o

revoke visas o oreign naionals i in he securiy

or oreign policy ineress o he U.S., among

oher provisions.

Helps ICE Ocers Beter Do Teir Jobs:

Te bill assiss U.S. Immigraion and Cusoms

Enorcemen ocers in carrying ou heirjobs o enorcing ederal immigraion laws by

srenghening heir abiliy o make arress or

immigraion violaions. Te bill also allows hem

o carry rearms and provides hem wih

body armor.

Srenghens Border Securiy: Te bill

prohibis he Deparmens o Inerior and

Agriculure rom prevening Border Parol agens

access o ederal lands wihin 100 miles o heborder. Tis will beter enable Border Parol

agens o secure our border and preven illegal

aciviy, such as il legal immigraion, smuggling,

and drug racking. I also prohibis he

inererence o Border Parol aciviies, such

as consrucion and mainenance o roads and

barriers, use o parol vehicles, and deploymen o

acical inrasrucure.

Reviews Adminisraions Abuse o

Prosecuorial Discreion: Te bill requires

a repor o Congress each year on he abuse o

prosecuorial discreion by he Adminisraion.

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The Legal Workorce Act

The Problem

Employers by law are currenly required o use he

paper-based, error-prone I-9 sysem o check helegal saus o heir newly hired employees. Tis

law has been on he books or nearly 30 years bu

is no an accurae way or employers o check he

legal saus o heir new employees since ideniy

documens can be easily alsied.

E-Veriy is a web-based program ha provides

employers wih an easier and more accurae way

o deermine i heir new employees are allowed

o work in he U.S. Tis program has been upand running since 1997 bu is currenly no

mandaory or all U.S. employers.

E-Veriy checks he Social Securiy numbers or

alien idenicaion numbers o new hires agains

Social Securiy Adminisraion and Deparmen

o Homeland Securiy records in order o help

ensure ha new hires are genuinely eligible o

work in he U.S. Te program quickly conrms

99.7% o work-eligible employees and akes less

han wo minues o use.

Alhough i is no required, oday over 465,000

American employers volunarily use E-Veriy.

Ouside evaluaions have ound ha he vas

majoriy o employers using E-Veriy believe i o

be an eecive and reliable ool or checking he

legal saus o heir employees.

The Solution

TeLegal Workorce Ac(H.R. 1772) was

inroduced on April 26, 2013 by Rep. LamarSmih and approved by he House Judiciary

Commitee on June 26, 2013 in a voe o 22-9.

Tis biparisan bill discourages illegal immigraion

by ensuring jobs are made available only o hose

auhorized o work in he U.S. Specically, he bill

requires employers o check he work eligibiliy o

all uure hires hough he E-Veriy sysem.

TeLegal Workorce Acis suppored by he

Associaed Builders and Conracors Inc, heNaional Resauran Associaion, he HR Policy

Associaion, he Naional Reail Federaion, he

Inernaional Franchise Associaion, he Essenial

Worker Immigraion Coaliion, NumbersUSA,

he Chamber o Commerce, and he Naional

Associaion o Home Builders amoung ohers.

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FAST FACTE-Veriy confrms 99.7% owork eligible employeesand takes less than twominutes to use.


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Summary o the Legal Workorce Act

Repeals I-9 Sysem: TeLegal Workorce Ac

repeals he curren paper-based I-9 sysem andreplaces i wih a compleely elecronic work

eligibiliy check, bringing he process ino he

21s cenury. However, an employer may op o

keep using he paper-based I-9 sysem in addiion

o E-Veriy i hey preer.

Gradual Phase-In: Te bill phases-in mandaory

E-Veriy paricipaion or new hires in six monh

incremens beginning on he dae o enacmen.

Wihin six monhs o enacmen, businesses

having more han 10,000 employees are required

o use E-Veriy. Wihin 12 monhs o enacmen,

businesses having 500 o 9,999 employees

are required o use E-Veriy. Eigheen monhs

aer enacmen, businesses having 20 o 499

employees mus use E-Veriy. And 24 monhs aer

enacmen, businesses having 1 o 19 employees

mus use E-Veriy. I allows a one-ime six monh

exension o he iniial phase-in. I also requiresha employees perorming agriculural labor or

services are subjec o an E-Veriy check wihin

24 monhs o he dae o enacmen.

Volunary Use: Te bill allows employers o

use E-Veriy o check he work eligibiliy o heir

curren employees as long as hey do so in a

nondiscriminaory manner and on all employees

who are in he same geographic locaion or in he

same job caegory.

Srenghened Penalies: Te bill raises

penalies on employers who knowingly hire illegal

immigrans in violaion o he requiremens o he

bill. Te bill also creaes a penaly or individuals

(employees or employers) who knowingly submi

alse inormaion o he E-Veriy sysem.

Saes as Parners: Te bill preemps duplicaive

sae laws mandaing E-Veriy use bu gives saes

prominen roles in enorcing he law. Specically,

i reains he abiliy o saes and localiies o

condiion business licenses on he requiremen

ha he employer use E-Veriy in good aih under

ederal law. In addiion, he bill allows saes o

enorce he ederal E-Veriy requiremen and

incenivizes hem o do so by leting hem keep

he nes hey recover rom employers who violae

he law.

Proecs Agains Ideniy Tef: Te bill allowsindividuals o lock heir Social Securiy number

(SSN) so ha i can be used by anoher person o

ge a job. I also allows parens or legal guardians

o lock he SSN o heir minor child. And i a

SSN shows a patern o unusual muliple use,

DHS is required o lock he SSN and aler he

owner ha heir personal inormaion may have

been compromised.

Sae Harbor: Te bill grans employers saeharbor rom prosecuion i hey use he

E-Veriy program in good aih, and hrough

no aul o heir own, receive an incorrec

eligibiliy conrmaion.

Ideniy Auhenicaion Pilo Programs: Te

bill requires DHS o conduc a leas wo pilo

programs aimed a using echnology wihin he

E-Veriy sysem o help urher preven ideniy

he in he sysem.

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The Border Security Results Act

The Problem

Border securiy is he rs line o deense agains

illegal immigraion a our naions borders andpors o enry. In addiion, our homeland securiy

hinges in par on how well we conrol who and

wha comes ino his counry. A porous border

is no only a condui or drug smugglers and

human rackers, bu is also a vulnerabiliy ha

erroriss may exploi. However, he Deparmen

o Homeland Securiy does no have a naional

sraegy o secure he borders or reliable merics

o measure border securiy progress. Te House

Homeland Securiy Commitee has approved a

bill o address border securiy, heBorder Securiy

Resuls Ac.

Summary o the

Border Security Results Act

TeBorder Securiy Resuls Ac(H.R. 1417) wasinroduced on April 9, 2013 by House Homeland

Securiy Chairman Michael McCaul and approved

by he House Homeland Securiy Commitee on

May 20, 2013 by voice voe. H.R. 1417 requires

resuls veried by merics o end he Deparmen

o Homeland Securiys ad hoc border approach

and help secure our naions porous borders. For

more inormaion abou his bill, please conac

he House Homeland Securiy Commitee.

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IMPROVING

OUR LEGAL

IMMIGRATION

PROGRAMS


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The SKILLS Visa Act

Background

Te conribuions o highly-skilled and educaed

immigrans o he Unied Saes are well-documened. Seveny-six percen o he paens

awarded o our op paen-producing universiies

had a leas one oreign-born invenor. According

o a recen repor, hese oreign-born invenors

played especially large roles in cuting edge

elds like semiconducor device manuacuring,

inormaion echnology, pulse or digial

communicaions, pharmaceuical drugs or drug

compounds and opics.

A sudy by he American Enerprise Insiue and

he Parnership or a New American Economy

ound ha an addiional 100 immigrans wih

advanced SEM degrees rom U.S. universiies

is associaed wih an addiional 262 jobs or

naives. Te sudy also ound ha immigrans

wih advanced degrees pay over $22,000 a year in

axes ye heir amilies receive less han $2,300 in

governmen benes.

The Problem

Te Unied Saes has he mos generous legal

immigraion sysem in he world providingpermanen residence o over a million immigrans

a year. However, we only selec 12% o immigrans

on he basis o he educaion and skills hey can

bring o America and ha percenage includes

he immigrans amily members. Oher counries,

such as Canada, he U.K., and Ausralia, selec

over 60% o immigrans based on skills.

In addiion, while many immigrans have ounded

some o our mos successul companies, we onlyselec less han 1% o immigrans on he basis o

heir enrepreneurial alens. And ha is only i

hey already have he hundreds o housands o

dollars needed o paricipae in he invesor visa

program. In odays global economy, i doesn

make sense o orei he worlds bes and brighes

o our compeiors abroad.

The Solution

Te Supplying Knowledge Based Immigrans and

Lifing Levels o STEM Visas Ac(H.R. 2131), also

known as he SKILLS Visa Ac, was inroduced

by Rep. Darrell Issa on May 23, 2013 and makes

our immigraion sysem smarer by replacing

nonessenial immigraion programs wih hose

ha will make our counry more compeiive in

he global economy. Te SKILLS Visa Acwas

approved by he House Judiciary Commitee in avoe o 20-14 on June 27, 2013.

Te bill is suppored by he Consumer Elecronics

Associaion (CEA), Compee America, inSPIRE

SEM USA, he Inerne Associaion, and he

Inormaion echnology Indusry Council.

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Summary o the SKILLS Visa Act

Increases Green Cards or SEM Grads: Te

bill allocaes up o 55,000 green cards a year oremployers o peiion or oreign graduaes o U.S.

universiies wih advanced degrees in SEM elds.

Increases and Srenghens H-1B Program:

Te bill increases he H-1B visa cap or high-

skilled workers rom 65,000 o 155,000 and

increases he special pool o visas or oreign

graduaes o U.S. universiies o 40,000. Te bill

conains enhanced ani-raud provisions, beter

proecs American workers and allows H-1B

spouses o work.

Provides Job-Creaing Enrepreneur Visas:

Te bill allocaes up o 10,000 green cards a

year or alien enrepreneurs who 1) can atrac

invesmen rom venure-capial rms o esablish

businesses ha will creae a leas ve jobs or

2) have already creaed ve jobs over 10 years

hrough he E-2 reay invesor program.

Srenghens Invesor Visa Program: Te bill

srenghens he invesor visa green card program

by 1) making he regional cener pilo projec

permanen, 2) indexing invesmen requiremens

or infaion, and 3) adding ani-raud proecions.

Makes Immigraion Sysem Smarer: Te bill

repeals he diversiy lotery green card program

and he siblings o U.S. ciizens green card

program (while keeping he later program open

or 10 years so ha siblings who have been waiing

or he longes ime in he backlog can receive heir

green cards), and allocaes hese green cards o

immigrans wih skills America needs.

Eliminaes Arbirary Caps: Te bill eliminaes

he employmen-based green card per-counry

quoa sysem and raises he amily-sponsored per-

counry cap, so ha immigrans will no have owai longer jus because o heir counry o origin.

More Docors or Underserved Areas: Te

bill permanenly auhorizes he program allowing

oreign docors o work in medically underserved

areas wihou rs having o reurn home or wo

years aer heir residencies, increases he number

o slos available, and makes oher improvemens

o he program.

Increases Green Cards or Skilled Workers

and Nuclear Family Members: Te bill

allocaes an addiional 15,000 green cards a year

o boh employmen-based second preerence

(members o he proessions wih advanced degrees

and persons o excepional abiliy) and hird

preerence (skilled workers, proessionals wih

bachelors degrees and oher workers) green card

caegories and allocaes an addiional 25,000 green

cards a year o he spouses and minor children o

permanen residens in order o reduce backlogs.

Greaer Flexibiliy or Employers and

Workers: Te bill allows oreign sudens and

workers on emporary visas whose employmen-

based green card peiions have been approved o

coninue o work in he U.S. unil heir green cards

become available.

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FAST FACTWe currently select only12% o immigrants based onthe skills and education theybring to America.


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The AG Act

The Problem

Our curren emporary agriculural guesworker

program, known as he H-2A program, isunworkable or boh armers and immigrans

who wan o come here as guesworkers o use

his program. Te program exposes American

armers o cosly liigaion and burdens hem wih

excessive regulaions. In ac, he H-2A program

is so unworkable ha mos American armers

avoid using he program alogeher. Tis broken

program, coupled wih he ac ha American

armers rely on oreign labor o pick heir crops,

has increased he hiring o unlawul immigrans in

he agriculure secor. I is esimaed oday ha as

many as one million undocumened immigrans

work on American arms.

Te agriculure indusry needs reliable arm labor

and workers who wan emporary work need

access o sable, legal, emporary employmen. Is

in our naions ineres o creae a sensible way

or workers o come in on a emporary basis, llempy jobs, and reurn o heir home counries.

The Solution

On April 26, 2013, House Judiciary Commitee

Chairman Bob Goodlate inroduced heAgriculural Guesworker Ac(H.R. 1773), also

known as heAG Ac. Te Commitee approved

his bill on June 19, 2013 in a voe o 20-16.

Tis bill provides armers wih a new guesworker

program ha eases access o a lawul, agriculural

workorce ha employers may call upon when

sucien American labor canno be ound. In

conras o he curren, bureaucra-driven H-2A

program, he guesworker program creaedunder heAG Acakes a marke-based approach

by removing red ape, simpliying access o

emporary labor, and creaing a sreamlined legal

dispue resoluion sysem o resolve arm worker

concerns quickly and ecienly.

Successul guesworker programs, like he

one creaed in heAG Ac, help deer illegal

immigraion, proec he jobs o U.S. workers,

discourage he exploiaion o unauhorized

workers, and sabilize indusries. By puting

armers in he drivers sea raher han Washingon

bureaucras, hey will be beter equipped o

compee in he global economy and coninue

growing our crops.

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Summary o the AG Act

Expands he Scope o he Program o

Address More Agriculure: Te bill allows hedairy indusry and agriculural produc processors

o paricipae in he program.

Eliminaes Excessive Red ape: Te new

emporary agriculural guesworker program

creaed under he bill removes barriers and

excessive paperwork armers ace in hiring oreign

workers. Once E-Veriy is implemened or all

employers, i a grower is designaed as a regisered

agriculural employer by USDA and agrees o

he erms and obligaions o paricipaing in he

program, hen hey can easily hire guesworkers

already admited o he U.S. wihou having o le

ye anoher peiion or he individual worker. Te

new guesworker programs peiion process is

also atesaion based, meaning ha armers will

no longer ace unnecessary, governmen-imposed

red ape during he process.

Proecs Farmers rom Abusive Liigaion:

In order o discourage rivolous and abusive

liigaion agains growers, growers may require

as a condiion o employmen ha guesworkers

be subjec o binding arbiraion and mediaion

o any grievances in relaion o he employmen

relaionship. Tis bill also prevens armers using

he new guesworker program rom being sued by

Legal Services Corporaion-unded lawyers.

Enacs Marke-Based Approach o Mee

Demand and Supply: Te bill eliminaes he

aricial governmen-imposed wage rae ha

is par o he curren emporary agriculural

guesworker program and replaces i wih he

marke-based prevailing wage rae or he sae

minimum wagewhichever is greaer.

Helps American Farmers Keep Up wih

Global Compeiors: Te new guesworker

program will allow American growers o beter

compee in he global economy by removing

he exorbian coss associaed wih abusiveliigaion, excessive regulaion, and aricially high,

governmen-imposed wage raes.

Farmer Friendly: Te bill designaes he

Deparmen o Agriculure o adminiser he new

guesworker program raher han he Deparmen

o Labor. USDA is beter equipped o help armers

and beter undersands heir needs.

emporary bu Flexible: Te maximumamoun o ime a guesworker is allowed o

say in he U.S. coninuously is 18 monhs

(and 36 monhs in cerain insances) so ha is

ruly a guesworker program. Generally, he

guesworkers mus hen leave he counry or a

period o ime ha is 1/6 o he ime he or she was

working in he U.S.

Paricipaion: Under he new guesworker

program, armers can peiion or any oreignnaional wheher currenly wihin he U.S. or

abroad o come work or hem.

Proecs axpayers: Under he new program,

guesworkers are no eligible or Obamacare, he

Earned Income ax Credi, he Child ax Credi,

or oher welare programs.

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FAST FACTIts estimated that up to onemillion illegal immigrantswork in the ag sector.


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FAIRLY DEALING

WITH UNLAWFUL

IMMIGRANTS


17/24


The Way Forward

The Problem

When Congress passed an immigraion overhaul

bill in 1986, Americans were promised ougherenorcemen o our immigraion laws in exchange

or he legalizaion o roughly hree million

unlawul immigrans. While he legalizaion

happened, he Execuive Branch did no keep heir

promise o enorce our immigraion laws. Since

our immigraion laws have been largely ignored

or he pas 30 years, our counry now has an

esimaed 11 million undocumened immigrans

living in he U.S. According o he Pew Research

Cener, he majoriy o hem have been living here

or more han 10 years.

The House Republican Way Forward

House Republicans are currenly discussing a way

orward on how o provide legal saus o unlawulimmigrans living in our counry. However,

he curren unlawul immigran populaion is

diverse, so he soluions may vary. For example,

while some knowingly broke our immigraion

laws, ohers were brough illegally o he U.S. as

children by heir parens. Tese children came

here hrough no aul o heir own and many o

hem know no oher home han he Unied Saes.

Unlike he Senae immigraion bill, we shouldno creae a special pahway o ciizenship or

hose who knowingly broke our immigraion

laws. Is unair o hose who have waied in line

and ollowed our immigraion rules o creae

an enirely new, currenly non-exisen pah o

ciizenship or hose who knowingly broke our

immigraion laws. Te Senae bill also provides

legalizaion beore border securiy. However, i is

imperaive ha we secure our border and enorceour immigraion laws rs.

FAIRLYDEALINGWITH

UNLAWFULIMMIGRANTS

3

3.2

8.4

9.3 9.49.7

10.4

11.111.3

12

11.6

11.1 11.211.1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1986

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Illegal Immigrants (in millions)


18/24


PRESS

MATERIALS


19/24


How to Communicate Immigration Reorm

Key Points to Make

America is a naion o immigrans, bu we are also

a naion o laws. Immigraion reorm mus honorboh our hisory as a naion o immigrans and

our oundaional principles grounded in he rule

o law.

We need commonsense immigraion reorm so

ha our laws work and he sysem works. We need

soluions ha are responsible, realisic, consisen,

and air.

House Republicans undersand he imporanceo reorming our naions immigraion laws and

are aking a sep-by-sep approach o solve he

problems wihin our immigraion sysem.

Immigraion reorm is oo complex and imporan

o no examine each piece in deail. Whaever is

ulimaely voed on in he House mus go hrough

he radiional legislaive process.

Any immigraion reorm proposal mus rssrenghen border securiy and he enorcemen

o our immigraion laws, improve our legal

immigraion programs, and nd a way o airly

deal wih hose living unlawully in he U.S.

Over he pas six monhs, he House Judiciary

Commitee convened nearly a dozen hearings

on immigraion and approved our pieces o

legislaion ha improve our immigraion sysem.

Te House Judiciary Commitee approved he

SAFE Ac, a bill designed o srenghen he inerior

enorcemen o our immigraion laws.

Te House Judiciary Commitee also approved

heLegal Workorce Ac. Tis bill requires he

use o E-Veriy naionwide and helps employers

deermine who is lawully here and who can

accep employmen.

In addiion, he House Judiciary Commitee

approved heAG Ac, which creaes a new

guesworker program ha provides Americanarmers wih access o a reliable, lawul workorce.

Lasly, he House Judiciary Commitee approved

he SKILLS Visa Ac. Tis bill allows hardworking,

smar immigrans o come o he U.S. so ha hey

creae jobs or American workers and make us

more compeiive in he global economy.

Tese immigraion bills are being considered

hrough an open process in which membershave he opporuniy o ully ve hem and

oer improvemens hrough amendmens. We

welcome all ideas and suggesions o improve our

immigraion sysem.

While he Senae has passed legislaion, he

House will coninue o work is will by passing

our own legislaion. Ta is he American

legislaive process.

Immigraion reorm is no a race; i s abou

geting i righ.

PRE

SSMATERIALS

4


20/24


PRESSMATER

IALS

4 Talking Points: Top 10 Concerns About Senate Bill

#1: Unconsiuional: Te Senae immigraion

bill is a revenue-raising bill, which makes i

unconsiuional. Specically, he bill conains

a wide range o eecs on ederal revenues,

including changes in collecions o income and

payroll axes, cerain visa ees ha are classied

as revenues, and various nes and penalies.

Language in he U.S. Consiuion requires ha

any bill ha raises revenue, also known as a ax,

mus originae in he House o Represenaives,

no he Senae.

#2: Legalizaion Beore Border Securiy: Sixmonhs rom he bills enacmen, he Secreary o

Homeland Securiy mus submi a border securiy

plan. Once his plan is submitedmeaning ha

he border does no have o be secureunlawul

immigrans can hen apply or legal saus, which

is called regisered provisional saus (RPI).

Adjusmen rom RPI saus o Lawul Permanen

Residen (LPR) saus can begin when he

border securiy plan is deployed, he border ence

and elecronic vericaion sysem have been

implemened, he exi sysem is being used, and

38,405 Border Parol agens have been deployed

on he Souhwes border. Tis means ha nohing

has o be ully implemened beore legalizaion

and here are no assurances ha he border

has o be secure. Addiionally, he Secreary o

Homeland Securiy can ignore hese requiremens

aer 10 years o liigaion or a Supreme Cour

ruling has prevened hese riggers rombeing implemened.

#3: Lack o Border Securiy: Under he

Schumer-Hoeven-Corker Amendmen, he so-

called border surge amendmen, approximaely

38,405 Border Parol agens will be deployed,

mainained, and saioned along he Souhwes

border. However, he agens do no have o

be deployed beore 2021, which is well aer

legalizaion akes place. Under he provision,

DHSs goal in allocaing he addiional Border

Parol agens o airpors shall be o reduce wai

imes, no o enorce immigraion law, apprehend

illegal immigrans, seize illegal conraband, or

improve naional securiy. Tis is hardly aborder surge.

#4: Inerior Enorcemen is Virually

Nonexisen: Under he Senae immigraion bill,

he inerior enorcemen o our immigraion laws

would be compleely guted. Specically

PresidentStillHasOn/OSwitch:

Te Senae bill does no ake away he

immigraion enorcemen on/o swichrom he Presiden. Te House enorcemen

bill (SAFE Ac) does his by graning saes

he auhoriy o enorce he laws in he uure.

EnforcementFreeZones: Te bill allows he

Secreary o DHS o designae enorcemen

ree areas where no immigraion aciviy can

ake place.

HaltsImmigrationEnforcement:Creaes an

immigraion enorcemen holiday where noenorcemen acions will occur or wo and a

hal years.

CountlessWaivers:Under he Senae bill,

wherever enorcemen is menioned, here

is a waiver auhoriy delegaed o he

Secreary o DHS, repeaing many o he

same problems we have oday wih he lack

o immigraion enorcemen.


21/24


PRE

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4#5: Won End Illegal Immigraion: Despie

all he money being spen in he bill ha is

supposed o secure our porous borders, he

Congressional Budge Oce has said ha he

Senae immigraion bill will only reduce illegal

immigraion by one-hird o one-hal.

#6: Special Pahway o Ciizenship: Te

Senae bill creaes an enirely new, currenly

nonexisen pah o ciizenship or illegal

immigrans. Also, he Senae bill decreases he

ime required or mos immigrans o apply or

nauralizaion rom ve o hree years.

#7: Endangers Our Communiies: Under he

Senae immigraion bill, he Secreary o DHS is

provided wih broad auhoriy o waive criminal

conduc, including gang aliaions, elony arress,

and muliple misdemeanor convicions. Te bill

allows he Secreary o waive background checks,

does no require dangerous criminal aliens o

be deained, and makes i easier or persecuors

and human righs abusers o obain immigraionbenes. Te bill also allows criminal immigrans

o coninue o commi and be conviced o

criminal oenses aer receiving provisional legal

saus, as long as he individuals convicions

remain below he eligibiliy hreshold. In addiion,

he bill allows hose wih muliple convicions o

ener, remain, and no be subjec o deenion in

he U.S.

#8: Releases Criminals Back ono he Srees:

Curren law requires cerain criminal immigrans

who are in he process o being depored o

be deained in order o proec he American

people. However, he Senae bill undermines his

commonsense requiremen and insead allows

dangerous criminals o be released back ono

our srees, only o be moniored by advocacy

organizaions.

#9: Unworkable Ag Guesworker Program:

Te Senae immigraion bill conains an

unworkable agriculural guesworker program hawould subjec armers o unnecessary regulaions

and excessive liigaion.

#10: Conains Slush Fund or Liberal

Acivis Groups: Under he Senae bill, new

gran programs are creaed ha could provide

$150 million dollars o liberal acivis groups

like La Raza, Casa de Maryland, and he

American Immigraion Lawyers Associaion.

Tese axpayer-unded grans are provided oorganizaions wihou any audi or oversigh

provisions in order o promoe he new special

pahway o ciizenship hough public inormaion

campaigns, o help unlawul immigrans apply

or new immigraion benes, and o provide any

oher assisance considered useul o unlawul

immigrans in he process.


22/24


PRESSMATER

IALS

4 Sample Op-ed

Nearly everyone agrees ha we need o x

our naions broken immigraion sysem. Te

way or Congress o remedy his problem is

o mehodically look a each o he various

componens ha need o be xed and ake any

nal bill hrough he radiional legislaive process.

Immigraion reorm is oo imporan and complex

o no examine each piece in deail.

By aking a sep-by-sep approach, Congress isable o refec on pas legislaive misakes and

avoid making similar ones in he uure. For

example, nearly 30 years ago Congress passed and

Presiden Reagan signed ino law he Immigraion

Reorm and Conrol Ac o 1986, assuring he

American people ha i would x our immigraion

sysem. We were promised ougher enorcemen

in exchange or he legalizaion o roughly hree

million people. Bu hese promises were never

kep and our immigraion laws remain broken.

Te ailed atemp o pass a massive immigraion

bill in 2007 also poins o he need or a sep-by-

sep approach under he normal legislaive process

o hearings, markups, and a nal voe. Te auhors

o ha bill ook a op-down approach raher

han saring rom he ground up and examining

each individual componen. Consequenly, once

hidden deails and uninended consequences o

he bill came o ligh, he American people largely

opposed i and he bill ailed. Te American

people wan o know how Congress plans o avoid

hese similar oucomes his ime.

Boh he House and he Senae recognize he

imporance o reorming our naions immigraion

sysem and ha is why boh chambers are acively

pursuing a soluion o his issue. While is rue

ha many in he House, including mysel, are

concerned ha he Senaes nearly 900-page bill

repeas some o he same misakes o he pas,

were hopeul ha we can produce beter soluions.

Te House Judiciary Commitee, which I chair,has held numerous hearings on our immigraion

laws and we have already inroduced several sand-

alone bills ha address paricular issues wihin our

immigraion sysem. We plan o build upon his

work o build consensus on hese imporan issues

in he weeks and monhs ahead. Tis process o

regular order allows every represenaive o ully

ve he issues and provides he opporuniy o

have he voices o he Sixh Congressional Disric

and olks across he naion heard.

Immigraion reorm is no an easy ask, ye

a soluion is no ou o reach. By aking a

mehodical approach o hese issues, i will help us

cra beter legislaion ha will bene Americans

and provide a workable immigraion sysem. Tis

will ensure we ge immigraion reorm righ his

ime so ha we don have he same problems in

he uure.

Congressman Bob Goodlate represens he Sixh

Congressional Disric o Virginia and is chairman o

he House Judiciary Commitee.


23/24


PRE

SSMATERIALS

4Sample Script or Website Video

Make a Video to Explain the Houses

Approach to Immigration Reorm

Righ now Congress is engaged in a momenousdebae on immigraion reorm. Nearly everyone

agrees ha we need o x our naions broken

immigraion sysem bu he House and Senae are

aking wo very dieren approaches o solving

his complex issue. While he Senae has passed

a massive bill ha conains many problemaic

provisions, he House is aking a sep-by-sep

approach so ha we careully and mehodically

review each componen o immigraion reorm in

deail. We wan o produce beter soluions so ha

we have a workable immigraion sysem or he

years o come.

Te way orward on immigraion reorm is much

like buying a new home. You wouldn buy a new

home or your amily by jus surveying i rom he

ouside. You would go room by room, conducing

a horough inspecion, and examine he

oundaion o ensure ha i will keep your homeon solid ooing. You would look or any faws and

deermine i hey could be correced beore you

nalize he purchase. Tas he common sense

approach. And he same should be said or any

immigraion reorm legislaion has produced

by Congress.

Hisory poins o he need or his sep-by-sep

approach. By now, weve all learned wha happens

when Congress rushes legislaion and bypasseshe American legislaive process. In 2010, he

House jammed he 2,700-page Obamacare bill

hrough Congress wihou a single hearing or

markup on he bill ha was ulimaely signed

ino law. Americans are now suck wih he

consequences o his hasy decisionhigher

premiums, more axes, over 20,000 pages in new

regulaions, and overall bad policy.

A sep-by-sep approach is also imporan

because i allows Congress o refec on pas

legislaive misakes and avoid making similar ones

in he uure. For example, nearly 30 years ago

Congress passed an immigraion overhaul bill,

assuring he American people ha i would x our

immigraion sysem. We were promised ougher

enorcemen in exchange or he legalizaion o

roughly hree million people. Bu hese promises

were never kep and we are sill living wih he

misakes o his law. Te American people wan

o know how Congress plans o avoid his similar

oucome in he curren debae surroundingimmigraion reorm.

Te House o Represenaives has aken care o

make sure we don repea hisory s misakes.

Since he beginning o he year, he House

Judiciary Commitee has convened nearly a dozen

hearings on immigraion, ocusing on he hree

areas o our immigraion laws ha need o be xed,

and has approved our bills. Any immigraion

reorm bill mus improve our legal immigraion

programs, srenghen border securiy and he

inerior enorcemen o our immigraion laws, and

nd a way o airly deal wih hose who live in he

U.S. unlawully.

By aking a sep-by-sep approach o immigraion

reorm, we will help ensure ha he end resul is a

real soluion ha will x our broken immigraion

sysem or good. We mus no rush o legislaewe need o horoughly examine each componen

so ha we avoid pas misakes. Immigraion

reorm isn a race; raher, is abou geting i righ.


24/24

GroverNorquist,PresidentofAmericansforTaxR

eform:

Itismybeliethatapositioninavoromorelegalimmigrationandaa

irand

humanepathtocitizenshiporthoseundocumente

dimmigrantsalreadyhereis

whollyconsistentwiththeidealsothecenter-right

movementIhaveworkedmy

entirelietohelpbuild.Ibelievethatreemarketsle

adtoeconomicgrowthand

prosperityorall.Tisincludesreeandfexiblelabo

rmarkets,whichwillbenetnot

onlythosewhowishtocomeheretopursuetheAm

ericanDream,butalsothoseo

usblessedenoughtohavebeenbornintheUnitedS

tatesoAmerica.

Dr. Russell Moore, President, EthicsandReligious LibertyCommissionoftheSouthern BaptistConvention:

Evangelicalsunderstandthat ourbrokensystem is a moralissue; thisisntjustalegalissue, it isnta political issue oraneconomicissueonly. Its amoral issue andits beenastainonourcountryfortoo long. Nowisthetimeforthe countryto cometogetherforanimmigration system thatrespectsthe God-givenhumandignityofeveryperson.

JoinleterfromAmericanAcionForum,

AmericansforTaxReform,andAmericanConservaiveUnion:

WeurgeheHouse oakeupacomprehensivepackageoimmigraion

reormsbeionebillormanyhasecuresourborder,increaseshelega

l

fowoworkers,anddealssensiblywihheundocumenedpopulaion.

House Judiciary Committee

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What Conservative Groups Are Saying

RollCall,April2,2013:

ClubforGrowthand FreedomWorkstoSitOutImmigrationFight

immigration resource kit

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