In advance of the U.S. House leadership meeting to determine the direction of immigration legislation in Congress, former President George Bush challenged Congress to take action. Here's how NBC News reported the story.
Immigration Legislation introduced by Senate Gang of Eight
The following first appeared on April 17, 2013 as a letter to the editor of the Princeton Packet.To the editor,This morning, the U.S. Senate’s Gang of Eight – a bipartisan group of Republican and Democratic Senators (including New Jersey’s own Senator Robert Menendez) – introduced legislation to comprehensively revamp our broken immigration system. The bill - the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 – offers a strong starting point for immigration debate on Capitol Hill that will unfold over the next few months. If passed, the Senate proposal will not only restructure the way immigration works on the federal level, but will boost opportunity for economic growth particularly in a state like New Jersey, with a large immigrant population.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey, over one-fifth of New Jersey’s population is foreign born. Therefore, any bill that impacts immigration, impacts this state. The appeal of the Senate bill is multifaceted. It provides a path for legalization and ultimate citizenship for New Jersey’s roughly 550,000 undocumented immigrants. This is not only the right and moral thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.Once legalized, the individuals will become an economic engine, with many complaints made by those who oppose legalization falling to the wayside. Out of the shadows, these individuals can purchase health insurance and buttress our health care system; can buy homes and further contribute to community resources; can obtain driving licenses, and buy cars and car insurance – in short more fully integrate into, and strengthen, the fabric of our communities.Significantly, the Senate bill creates a new visa to enable foreign workers to enter the United States to work lawfully – a fix to the problem that fostered illegal immigration. As a program born out of negotiations between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO, entities often at loggerheads, the new visa represents a minor miracle. If employers and labor unions can join hands to support the bill, hopefully congressional leaders can as well.The bill includes a host of other provisions. Notably for central New Jersey – a region fertile with academic institutions and high-tech/high-skill industries - are expanded visa options to enable foreign national entrepreneurs and advanced degree graduates of U.S. universities to invest their academic and business know-how in the United States. While our current immigration system pushes some of the world’s best and brightest out, the Senate bill encourages them to be on our team.Hopefully, Senate hearings will further improve the immigration bill, and a similar version can find bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives – particularly from those representing New Jersey, a state that has so much to gain.Ryan Stark Lilienthal, Esq.Princeton, New Jersey