Washington – Two Republican legislators, concerned about the division in their party’s ranks over immigration reform, on Tuesday announced an immigration reform plan that includes a temporary “Good Neighbor” visa and the “self-deportation” of undocumented migrants.
The measure, which has already been criticized by the Democratic opposition, was presented as an alternative policy to bridge the gap between the versions of immigration reform approved by the two houses of Congress, the reconciliation of which is dead in the water.
Texas Sen. Kay Bailey-Hutchison and Indiana Congressman Mike Pence held a press conference at which they said that their “no amnesty temporary worker program” emphasizes border security, resolves the problem of the 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States and offers “Good Neighbor SAFE Visas” to foreigners so they can temporarily work here.
The Good Neighbor SAFE Visa program would go into effect two years after the passage of the law and after the administration explained to Congress the measures taken to correct the porousness of the U.S. border.
Hutchison said that the measure initially would benefit only immigrants from countries that are partners with the United States in the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA – that is, Mexico and Canada – along with those from the nations adhering to the Central American Free Trade Agreement, including the Dominican Republic.
The citizens of those nations would have to “self-deport” themselves, or voluntarily return to their countries of origin, and request – from there – their visas.
She said that she and Pence hoped to extend the benefits available under the bill to other Latin American countries “that have good relations” with the United States, but only if lawmakers can show that the measure is working.
For his part, Pence said he was confident that the measure would gain supporters in Congress and would break up the congressional logjam on immigration reform this year.
He said he wanted to make clear that the Hutchison-Pence Plan was not an automatic route to citizenship, but neither did it prevent people from applying for legal entry into the United States.
The Good Neighbor visas would be renewable for a period of up to two years, after which the foreign workers could request so-called “X-change” visas for another five years and, after that, apply for permanent residence.
The plan also stipulates increasing the number of immigration and customs agents and inspectors, expanding the size and number of detention centers and making better use of military technology to quell illegal immigration.
Hutchison and Pence’s enthusiasm for their plan stood in sharp contrast to the apparent general lack of will existing in Congress for approving an overall immigration reform bill this year, as the White House has urged.
In December, the House of Representatives approved a bill that, among other things, makes it a crime to sneak into the country without the proper papers and sets forth punishment for those who help or hire undocumented immigrants.
The immigration reform version approved by the Senate in May includes more border security, a temporary worker program and a plan for legalizing the immigration status of a large portion of the undocumented workers living in the United States.
