Congress is currently on a two week Easter recess and is scheduled to return to Washington D.C. on April 27^th.  Before the U.S. Senate recessed, Senators could not agree on an immigration reform compromise bill.  It is likely that the members will immediately return to consideration of immigration reform, and what Senators hear while they are at home may determine the outcome.    

The compromise bill included:

1)       Immigrants here 5 years or longer would be allowed to remain in the United States and work six years before applying for a green card.

2)       Immigrants here for 2-5 years would be required to work in a temporary worker program and visit a port of entry once during a three-year period.  They would be allowed to apply for a green card from a new supply of green cards and could adjust to permanent residency within 8-10 years.

3)       Immigrants here 0-2 years would have to return home and re-enter through the temporary worker program, which would be capped at 325,000 a year.

4)       The compromise bill would also contain the AgJOBS bill, legalizing up to 1.5 million farmworkers, and the DREAM Act, legalizing undocumented students.  In addition, Title V of the compromise would significantly reduce backlogs in family immigration categories over the next five years.

5)       There remain some harsh enforcement provisions in the legislation which need to be addressed, including mandatory detention along the border, expedited removal, and passport fraud provisions.   We hope some of these may be addressed during the Senate amendment process. 

Click here to urge your U.S. Senators to support immigration reform now.