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Skriven 2007-06-08 23:31:42 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070608a) for Fri, 2007 Jun 8
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Best of the Immigration Fact Check: Top 10 Common Myths
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 8, 2007

Best of the Immigration Fact Check: Top 10 Common Myths

ÿÿWhite House News

ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Immigration

1. MYTH: This is amnesty.
  þ FACT: Amnesty is the forgiveness of an offense without penalty.ÿ This
    proposal is not amnesty becauseillegal workers must acknowledge that
    they broke the law, pay a $1,000 fine, and undergo criminal background
    checks to obtain a Z visa granting temporary legal status.ÿ
  þ FACT: To apply for a green card at a date years into the future, Z visa
    workers must wait in line behind those who applied lawfully, pay an
    additional $4,000 fine, complete accelerated English requirements,
    leave the U.S. and file their application in their home country, and
    demonstrate merit based on the skills and attributes they will bring to
    the United States.
  þ FACT: Workers approved for Z visas will be given a temporary legal
    status, but they will not enjoy the full privileges of citizens or
    Legal Permanent Residents, such as welfare benefits and the ability to
    sponsor relatives abroad as immigrants.

2. MYTH: This proposal repeats the mistakes of the 1986 Immigration Reform
and Control Act.
  þ FACT: The 1986 Act failed because it provided amnesty for 3 million
    immigrants, did not adequately secure borders, did not include a
    workable employer verification system, and created no legal avenue to
    meet the labor needs of the American economy.ÿ
  þ FACT: This proposal addresses every one of the shortcomings from 1986:
      þ No Amnesty: Illegal workers must acknowledge that they broke the
        law and pay a fine to be eligible for a Z visa.ÿ
      þ Border Security: Border security benchmarks must be met before the
        Z visa and temporary worker programs go into effect.ÿ These
        triggers include miles of fencing and vehicle barriers at the
        border and increasing the size of the Border Patrol.
      þ Employer Verification System: An Employment Eligibility
        Verification System must be established and in use before any
        temporary worker or Z visas are issued.ÿ
      þ Temporary Worker Program: A temporary worker program will relieve
        pressure on the border and provide a lawful way to meet the needs
        of our economy.
  þ FACT: The 1986 Act offered green cards after just 18 months, but under
    this proposal, green card applicants must meet a number of
    responsibilities  something which will take most candidates more than
    a decade.

3. MYTH: DHS has only one day to complete background checks for illegal
immigrants already in the U.S.
  þ FACT:To obtain probationary status, illegal immigrants must come out of
    the shadows to acknowledge they have broken the law and pass a
    preliminary background check.ÿ There is a provision in the bill that
    says DHS has one day to find a "disqualifying factor," but that is not
    the end of the process. That is a very short term way of ensuring that
    if someone comes out of the shadows and admits their illegality, they
    will not be deported while the process is ongoing and can continue
    working while the full background check is completed.
  þ FACT: Illegal immigrants may not obtain probationary status without
    applying for the Z visa.ÿ Probationary status may be revoked at any
    time if a worker is found ineligible for the Z visa, fails to maintain
    a clean record, or fails the background check required for obtaining a
    Z visa.
  þ FACT: To remain in the United States, Z visa holders are subject to
    updated background checks on criminal and security history and must
    maintain a clean record.ÿ

4. MYTH: The temporary worker program is bad for American workers.
  þ FACT: The temporary worker program relieves pressure on the border and
    meets our economic needs by allowing workers to enter the country to
    fill jobs that Americans are not doing.
  þ FACT: The program protects American workers by requiring U.S. employers
    to advertise the job in the United States at a competitive wage before
    hiring a temporary worker.
  þ FACT: To ensure "temporary" means "temporary," workers are limited to
    three two-year terms, with at least a year spent outside the United
    States between each term.ÿ
  þ FACT: A cap of 200,000 is set on the program.

5. MYTH: The government will not and cannot meet its promise to crack down
on the hiring of illegal workers.
  þ FACT: Before any temporary worker or Z visas are issued, an Employment
    Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) must be established and in use
    to prevent unauthorized workers from obtaining jobs in the United
    States.ÿ
  þ FACT: Employers will be required to verify the work eligibility of all
    employees using the EEVS, and all workers will be required to present
    stronger and more readily verifiable identification documents.ÿ Tough
    new anti-fraud measures will be implemented to restrict fraud and
    identity theft.
  þ FACT: Employers who hire illegal workers will face stiff new criminal
    and civil penalties.ÿ For example, the maximum criminal penalty for a
    pattern or practice of hiring illegals will increase 25-fold, from
    $3,000 per alien to $75,000 per alien.ÿ

6. MYTH: Illegal immigrants will come out of the shadows and on to the
welfare rolls.
  þ FACT: Z visa workers are not entitled to welfare, Food Stamps, SSI,
    non-emergency Medicaid, or other programs and privileges enjoyed by
    U.S. citizens and some Legal Permanent Residents.ÿ
  þ FACT: In order to apply for Z visa status, workers must be employed; in
    order to maintain Z visa status, they must remain employed
  þ FACT: CBO estimates increased revenue from taxes, penalties, and fines
    under the bill will offset any estimated increases in mandatory
    spending, such as emergency Medicaid, and produce a net fiscal surplus
    of $25.6 billion over 10 years.ÿ This surplus will be used to cover
    costs of implementing the bill, including a significant portion of the
    costs of better securing our borders and improving interior enforcement
    through additional Border Patrol and ICE agents.

7.ÿMYTH: Illegal immigrants may stay in probationary status for years
without having to apply or meet requirements for a Z visa.
  þ ÿFACT: Illegal immigrants may not obtain probationary status without
    applying for the Z visa, which requires coming out of the shadows and
    passing a background check.
  þ ÿFACT: Probationary status is valid only while a Z visa application is
    pending  it may be revoked at any time if the applicant is found
    ineligible for the Z visa, fails to maintain a clean record, or fails
    the background check required for obtaining a Z visa.ÿ
  þ ÿFACT: If a worker is deemed eligible for a Z visa, probationary status
    terminates, and the worker must transition to a Z visa or leave the
    country.ÿ Transitioning to Z status will require the worker to pay a
    $1,000 fine for head of household and $500 per dependent; up to $1,500
    in processing fees per applicant, including heads of household and
    dependents; and a $500 state impact assistance fee.ÿ
  þ ÿFACT: To remain in the United States, the worker is subject to updated
    background checks on criminal and security history and must stay
    employed, maintain a clean record, and meet accelerated English and
    civics requirements by set deadlines.ÿ In addition, Z visa holders must
    pay processing fees of up to $1,500 every four years in order to renew
    the visa.ÿ Z visa holders are not entitled to welfare, Food Stamps,
    SSI, or non-emergency Medicaid.

8. MYTH: Illegal workers who remained in the country after they were
ordered deported by an immigration judge are eligible for Z visas.
  þ FACT:Illegal workers who ignored deportation orders are not eligible
    for the Z visa program, except in exceedingly rare cases in which they
    can demonstrate their departure would "result in extreme hardship."
  þ FACT:The determination of what constitutes "extreme hardship" lies
    entirely within the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security,
    who has no interest in allowing this exception to be abused.

9. MYTH: The bill allows dangerous gang members access to the Z visa
program if they renounce their gang affiliation.
  þ FACT: Any gang member convicted of any of a wide range of criminal
    conduct is not permitted in the Z visa program, whether he or she has
    renounced his gang affiliation or not.ÿ The list of crimes that
    disqualify Z visa applicants extends into the thousands and includes:
      þ Any felony.
      þ Any three misdemeanors.
      þ Any serious criminal offense.
      þ Violations of any law relating to a controlled substance.
  þ FACT: Even if a gang member or other applicant has not been convicted
    of a crime, he or she is ineligible for the Z visa program if the
    Government concludes that he is sufficiently dangerous.ÿ This is true
    for all applicants, including gang members who have renounced their
    affiliations. For example, among those ineligible is any gang member
    (or other applicant):
      þ About whom there are "reasonable grounds" for regarding as a danger
        to the security of the United States;
      þ Who the Government knows or has reason to believe seeks to enter
        the U.S. "solely, principally, or incidentally" to engage in
        unlawful activity; or
      þ About whom there are reasonable grounds for believing has committed
        a serious criminal offense outside the U.S.
  þ FACT: The billÿwould, for the first time, give the Departments of
    Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DOJ)ÿtools to keep certain aliens
    out of theÿUnited States solely on the basis of their participation in
    a gang.ÿÿNo conviction is required  if anÿindividual has associated
    with a gang and helped "aid" or "support" its illegal activity, thenÿhe
    or she is not allowed to remain in the country  even if he renounces
    his gang affiliation.ÿ

10. MYTH: By providing an opportunity for citizenship to illegal immigrants
already here, the bill will exponentially increase extended-family chain
migration.
  þ FACT: The proposal reforms our immigration system to create a new
    balance between family connections and our national interests and
    economic needs.
  þ FACT: Green cards for parents of U.S. citizens are capped, while
    set-asides for the siblings of U.S. citizens and the adult children of
    U.S. citizens and green card holders are eliminated.
  þ FACT: To help keep our economy competitive, a new merit-based system
    similar to those used by other countries will give preference to
    attributes that further our national interest such as: job offers in
    high-demand fields, ability to speak English, and education.
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