The landmark immigration bill resting in the Senate has been withstanding the brunt of proposed amendments which would essentially water down the legislation and negatively effect countless people living in the United States. Republican senators have made an effort to further tie undocumented individuals ability to obtain registered status to the success of controlling the border. These senators don’t want undocumented individuals who are already in the United States to obtain legal status until the border is secure. In theory, this position may seem reasonable. However, the viability of the border security efforts may be unattainable or may take years to accomplish, thus making the registered provisional status a moot point.
A group of eight senators – four Republicans and four Democrats have held firm in their resistance to such amendments. The effectiveness of the bill as it stands now is certainly open to debate. Critics believe that the legislation would be difficult, if not impossible to implement. Some believe that the agencies that execute the legislation (i.e. USCIS, ICE) may not implement the procedures according to the spirit of the legislation. It remains to be seen whether the bill will pass, in what form it will be passed, and how the changes will be implemented by the troops on the ground. Stay tuned.
Read more about the proposed amendments to the bill here.