Immigration Bills

H.R. 15, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, was a massive immigration reform bill, introduced by Rep. Joe Garcia (D-Fla.) and was the House companion to the Gang of 8's S. 744. H.R. 15 would result in approximately 30 million new permanent work permits issued in the first 10 years if passed. The bill would grant legal status and worker permits to an estimated 11 million illegal aliens with an opportunity for green cards after 10 years and replace some family-based immigration categories with a merit-based points system.

The bill would require the President to submit plans to Congress to accelerate the processing of Iraqi nationals’ petitions for refugee status, as well as the operation of the special immigrant visa program for Iraqi and Afghan translators; would require the President to submit to Congress legislative proposals to facilitate greater “acceptance by,” “relocation,” or “absorption into” the United States of Iraqis seeking admission into, or resettlement in, the United States due to a well-founded fear of persecution on account of employment by, or assistance to, the United States or other coal

H.R. 4885, the Comprehensive Immigration Fairness Act, would create an amnesty for illegal aliens who have been physically present in the U.S. for five years and have never been convicted of a criminal offense. In addition to this general amnesty, it would include special amnesties for Haitians and Liberians. The bill would also increase annual admissions of refugee and aslyees by allowing refugee/asylee status for certain adult unmarried children of refugees and asylees and would establish gender based persecution as grounds for refugee status.

H.R. 4300 was a bill to radically increase annual immigration numbers by removing or increasing limits in most immigration categories. As well, H.R. 4300 created the diversity visa lottery. Traditional American immigration had averaged around 250,000 a year until the 1980s when it dramatically rose to around 500,000. Largely as a result of H.R. 4300, annual legal immigration has risen to around 1,000,000 (one million) a year.