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Skriven 2007-08-10 23:31:04 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070810) for Fri, 2007 Aug 10
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Fact Sheet: Improving Border Security and Immigration Within Existing Law
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary August 10, 2007

Fact Sheet: Improving Border Security and Immigration Within Existing Law

ÿÿWhite House News

ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Immigration

Today, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff And Commerce Secretary
Carlos Gutierrez Announced A Series Of Reforms The Administration Will
Pursue To Address Border Security And Immigration Challenges.ÿThe following
reforms represent steps the Administration can take within the boundaries
of existing law to secure our borders more effectively, improve interior
and worksite enforcement, streamline existing guest worker programs,
improve the current immigration system, and help new immigrants assimilate
into American culture.

BORDER SECURITY
  þ 1.ÿÿÿÿÿÿThe Administration Will Continue To Strengthen Security At The
    Border With Additional Personnel And Infrastructure.ÿWe are committed
    to implementing the following border security measures by December 31,
    2008:
  þ 18,300 Border Patrol agents
  þ 370 miles of fencing
  þ 300 miles of vehicle barriers
  þ 105 camera and radar towers
  þ Three additional UAVs

We will also work to ensure that 1,700 more Border Patrol Agents and an
additional UAV are added in 2009.
  þ 2.ÿÿÿÿÿÿThe Administration Will Maintain The Policy Of "Catch And
    Return" For Illegal Aliens Apprehended At The Border.ÿFor years,
    limited detention space forced the release of many illegal border
    crossers from nations other than Mexico with nothing more than a Notice
    to Appear for a hearing before an immigration judge. Many aliens
    ignored these notices and instead blended into U.S. society. ÿThe
    Administration has ended this practice and instituted a policy of
    "catch and return," ensuring that all removable aliens caught trying to
    cross the border illegally are held until they can be removed.ÿ
      þ The Administration Will Further Increase Funding For Detention Beds
        So There Are Places To Detain 31,500 Illegal Aliens Until They Can
        Be Returned.
      þ The Administration Will Also Press Recalcitrant Countries To Work
        With The United States To Repatriate Citizens Who Are In The United
        States Illegally.
  þ 3.ÿÿÿÿÿÿThe Departments Of State And Homeland Security Will Strengthen
    Legal Efforts To Keep International Gang Members Out Of The United
    States. ÿGangs are at the root of many U.S. crime problems today, and
    many of the most dangerous gangs draw significant membership from
    abroad. ÿThe Federal government already denies visas to known members
    of certain gangs from China, the former Soviet Union, and El Salvador.ÿ
    Today, the President is directing the State Department and the
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand this list of dangerous
    organized gangs from other nations and to ensure that members of those
    gangs are barred from entry into the United States.ÿ
  þ 4.ÿÿÿÿÿÿThe Administration Will Expand Exit Requirements So Persons Who
    Overstay Limited-Duration Visits To The United States Can Be
    Identified. ÿÿ
      þ By The End Of 2008, The US-VISIT Exit Requirement Will Be Underway
        At All U.S. Airports And Seaports.ÿThe Department of Homeland
        Security will continue to explore effective and cost-efficient
        means of establishing biometric exit requirements at land border
        crossings.
      þ The Administration Will Establish A New Land-Border Exit System For
        Guest Workers, Starting On A Pilot Basis. ÿThis will help ensure
        that temporary workers in the country now follow the mandate to
        leave when their work authorization expires.
  þ 5.ÿÿÿÿÿÿThe Administration Will Require All Travelers To Our Ports Of
    Entry To Use Passports Or Other Similar Secure Documents.ÿSince January
    2007, air travelers have been required to carry a passport for entry
    into the United States. ÿBecause of passport processing backlogs, a
    temporary accommodation has been made for U.S. citizens traveling in
    the Western Hemisphere, which will be phased out. ÿStarting January 31,
    2008, DHS will phase in a requirement for passports or other secure
    documents for sea and land ports of entry.
  þ 6.ÿÿÿÿÿÿBeginning This Fall, The Secretary Of Homeland Security Will
    Deliver Regular "State Of The Border" Reports. These reports will keep
    the American people informed of the Federal Government's progress in
    securing the border and hold the Administration accountable for
    continuing improvement.

INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT
  þ 7.ÿÿÿÿÿÿThe Administration Is Training Hundreds Of State And Local Law
    Enforcement Officers To Address Illegal Immigration In Their
    Communities.ÿThe Administration is maintaining the 287(g) program and
    expanding other measures that help State and local law officials.ÿ
    These measures include a broad array of enforcement tools, such as
    formal task forces, greater use of the ICE Law Enforcement Support
    Center, delegated border search and seizure authority under Title 19,
    and enhanced partnerships to address location-specific threats, such as
    gangs.
  þ 8.ÿÿÿÿÿÿBy This Fall, U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement Teams
    Devoted To Removing Fugitive Aliens Will Have Been Quintupled In Less
    Than Three Years.ÿThere were 15 seven-member Fugitive Operations Teams
    in 2005. As of this week there are 68; there will be 75 by the end of
    September.
  þ 9.ÿÿÿÿÿÿThe Justice Department Will Initiate Regulatory Action To Close
    The "Voluntary Departure" Loophole Manipulated By Many Illegal
    Immigrants.ÿIllegal immigrants who settle their cases by agreeing to
    voluntarily depart sometimes then gain extra time inside the United
    States by filing a procedural motion to reopen the case. New
    regulations will clarify that filing such a motion will terminate the
    voluntary departure status and make the alien subject to the order of
    removal.ÿ They will also set a presumptive $3,000 civil penalty for
    failing to comply with a voluntary departure agreement.

WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT
  þ 10.ÿÿToday, The Department Of Homeland Security Issued A "No-Match"
    Regulation That Will Help Employers Ensure Their Workers Are Legal And
    Help The Government Identify And Crack Down On Employers Who Knowingly
    Hire Illegal Workers.ÿIn cases in which an employer has a significant
    number of employees with inaccurate personal identity information, the
    Social Security Administration will send the employer a "No-Match"
    letter. ÿThe regulation clarifies that employers may be held liable if
    they ignore the "No Match" problems by failing to take specified steps
    within 90 days of receiving the letter.
  þ 11.ÿÿIn The Coming Months, The Administration Will Publish A Regulation
    That Will Reduce The Number Of Documents That Employers Must Accept To
    Confirm The Identity And Work Eligibility Of Their
    Employees.ÿPresently, no fewer than 29 categories of documents can be
    used to establish identity and work eligibility. ÿEmployers have little
    capacity to verify the authenticity of these documents, and the sheer
    quantity of accepted documents is an invitation to fraud.ÿ This
    regulation will reduce unlawful employment by weeding out insecure
    documents now used often for identity fraud.ÿÿÿÿ
  þ 12.ÿÿAs A Civil Counterpart To The Administration's Strategy Of Using
    Criminal Investigations To Deter Illegal Employment, The Department Of
    Homeland Security Will Raise The Civil Fines Imposed On Employers Who
    Knowingly Hire Illegal Immigrants By Approximately 25 Percent.ÿEfforts
    to secure the border will fail unless the "magnet" that attracts
    illegals is turned off. ÿUnfortunately, the fines for relying on
    illegal workers are so modest that some companies treat them as little
    more than a cost of doing business.ÿ DHS will use existing authority to
    update civil fines for inflation in order to boost fines by about 25
    percent, as much as is allowed under current law.
  þ 13.ÿÿThe Administration Will Continue To Expand Criminal Investigations
    Against Employers Who Knowingly Hire Large Numbers Of Illegal
    Aliens.ÿArrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for
    criminal violations have increased from 24 in FY 1999 to a record 716
    in FY 2006. ÿThere have been 742 criminal arrests since the beginning
    of FY 2007 (through July 31), and there is anecdotal evidence that
    companies are taking notice and adjusting their business practices to
    follow the law.
  þ 14.ÿÿThe Administration Will Commence a Rulemaking Process To Require
    All Federal Contractors And Vendors To Use E-Verify, The Federal
    Electronic Employment Verification System, To Ensure That Their
    Employees Are Authorized To Work In The United States.ÿThe Federal
    government ought to lead by example. ÿAs there are more than 200,000
    companies doing Federal business, this will significantly expand use of
    E-Verify, and make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to obtain
    jobs through fraud.
  þ 15.ÿÿThe Administration Will Help States Make Greater Use Of
    E-Verify.ÿSome States already mandate the use of E-Verify by some or
    all of their hiring agencies, and other States are considering similar
    requirements. ÿThe Administration will assist such efforts through
    outreach and offers of technical assistance.
  þ 16.ÿÿThe Administration Will Bolster E-Verify By Expanding The Data
    Sources It Can Check.ÿThis will make it easier to catch individuals who
    commit identity theft.ÿ New sources of data will include cross-checks
    of visa and passport information.
  þ 17.ÿÿThe Administration Will Seek Voluntary State Partners Willing To
    Share Their Department Of Motor Vehicles Photos And Records With
    E-Verify. ÿAgreements to allow E-Verify access to the repository of
    photographs in state DMV databases will help prevent illegal immigrants
    from using fraudulent driver_s licenses to obtain employment.ÿ Such
    agreements will also lay the groundwork for further expansion of the
    electronic employment eligibility verification system.

STREAMLINING EXISTING GUEST-WORKER PROGRAMS
  þ 18.ÿÿThe Department Of Labor (DOL) Will Reform The H-2A Agricultural
    Seasonal Worker Program.ÿNo sector of the American economy requires a
    legal flow of foreign workers more than agriculture, which has begun to
    experience severe labor shortages as our Southern border has tightened.
    ÿThe President has therefore directed DOL to review the regulations
    implementing the H-2A program and to institute changes that will
    provide farmers with an orderly and timely flow of legal workers, while
    protecting the rights of laborers.
  þ 19.ÿÿThe Department Of Labor Will Issue Regulations Streamlining The
    H-2B Program For Non-Agricultural Seasonal Workers.ÿBecause businesses
    in seasonal industries such as landscaping and hospitality frequently
    have a difficult time locating temporary workers, the H-2B program has
    proven quite popular. ÿSome employers report significant processing
    delays, however. ÿDOL's proposed rule will speed processing by moving
    from a government-certified system to an employer-attestation system
    akin to the PERM system that has reduced backlogs in other areas.ÿ
  þ 20.ÿÿThe Department Of Homeland Security Will Extend The Visa Term For
    Professional Workers From Canada And Mexico To Attract More Of These
    Talented Workers To The United States.ÿThe United States must compete
    for foreign professional workers, and those who elect to lend their
    talents to the U.S. economy should be welcomed with open arms, not
    given a bureaucratic runaround. Yet the roughly 65,000 workers who
    enter the United States each year on the TN visa must go to the trouble
    of renewing their visa every year. This regulation will extend the TN
    visaÿduration to three years  the same term as other popular
    professional visas.
  þ 21.ÿÿThe Department Of Homeland Security And The Department Of Labor
    Will Study And Report On Potential Administrative Reforms To Visa
    Programs For Highly Skilled Workers.

IMPROVING EXISTING IMMIGRATION
  þ 22.ÿÿThe Administration Will Reform And Expedite Background Checks For
    Immigration.ÿCurrent mechanisms for conducting immigration background
    checks are backed up, slowing processing times and endangering national
    security. The Administration is investing substantial new funds to
    address the backlog, and the FBI and USCIS are working together on a
    variety of projects designed to streamline existing processes so as to
    reduce waiting times without sacrificing security.
  þ 23.ÿÿThe President Is Directing The Department Of Homeland Security And
    The Social Security Administration To Study The Technical And
    Recordkeeping Reforms Necessary To Guarantee That Illegal Aliens Do Not
    Earn Credit In Our Social Security System For Illegal Work.
    ÿÿCurrently, aliens who make Social Security payments while working
    here legally can continue to accrue credits even if they overstay their
    visa. ÿImproved data-sharing can lay the foundation for eventual
    Congressional action to eliminate this practice (which proved an
    obstacle to comprehensive reform). ÿThe relevant agencies are ordered
    to report to the President with a detailed plan for eliminating the
    problem.

ASSIMILATION
  þ 24.ÿÿThe Office Of Citizenship Will Announce A Revised Naturalization
    Test In September 2007.ÿThe new test will emphasize fundamental
    concepts of American democracy, basic U.S. history, and the rights and
    responsibilities of citizenship. ÿIt will inculcate the basic values we
    share as Americans, and encourage civic knowledge and patriotism among
    prospective citizens.ÿ
      þ The New Standardized Test Will Ensure Fairness By Eliminating
        Current Wide Variations In The Quality Of Testing Between Regional
        Offices.
  þ 25.ÿÿThe Office Of Citizenship Will Provide Additional Training For
    Volunteers And Adult Educators Who Lead Immigrants Through The
    Naturalization Process.ÿIn October 2007, the Office of Citizenship will
    introduce a web-based training program that covers U.S. government,
    civics education, and the naturalization process.ÿ To complement these
    on-line materials, USCIS will convene eight regional training
    conferences, beginning in October 2007, to improve the ability of
    citizenship instructors and volunteers to teach American history,
    civics, and the naturalization process to immigrant students.ÿ An
    on-line training module will also be available by the end of the year.
  þ 26.ÿÿThe Department Of Education Will Launch A Free, Web-Based Portal
    To Help Immigrants Learn English, And Expand This Model Over Time.
    ÿKnowledge of English is the most important component of assimilation.
    ÿAn investment in tools to help new Americans learn English will be
    repaid many times over in the contributions these immigrants make to
    our political discourse, economy, and society.

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