Illegal No More

Both Democrats and Republicans in the U. S. Senate have met with Bush Administration officials to devise a plan to deal with millions of illegal immigrants living in America. They have come to an agreement that will now go to both the Senate and House of Representatives for a vote.

Illegal immigration is a hot topic in the United States. In 1996, Dr. Donald Huddle, a Rice University economics professor, released a report estimating what governments in America spend for illegal immigrants. At the time of the study, he calculated that American taxpayers were spending $24 billion each year for illegal immigrants and their families. Of that money, close to $6 billion was for educational system alone. It is estimated that the figure has now doubled. United States citizens simply cannot afford to foot the bill anymore. Politicians have been skirting the issue for years while demonstrators from both sides raise their voices. Who yelled the loudest?

President Bush told lawmakers that he wanted an immigration bill by the end of the summer. Senior Senators met with Bush Administration representatives behind close doors to hammer out what may be a highly contested plan. Senator Arlen Specter, R-PA., said, "We have required that the undocumented immigrants earn their right to citizenship. It is not amnesty. This will restore the rule of law. Without legislation we will have anarchy." Despite the Senator's claim, critics are comparing this to the amnesty program put into place by President Ronald Regan in the 1980s. Many are asking why the laws were ignored in the first place.

The measure would create separate programs for workers. One would be for agriculture and another to bring highly skilled labor into the American market. Illegal immigrants can immediately apply for a probationary card to grant them temporary legal status to live and work in the United States.