Gut the family immigration system

Under the secret White House plan, US citizens and current legal immigrants would not be able to sponsor their siblings or adult sons and daughters for visas.  Even parents of US citizens would be subject to a waiting period.  The plan does nothing to increase the number of visas, which is the logical solution to ending family visa backlogs.  Instead the White House would eliminates entire groups of people who could immigrate—people who are dear to immigrants who have become US citizens.

Turn the undocumented into a permanent underclass

The secret Bush plan offers no path to citizenship, and instead only offers “Z visas” that would be good for three years and renewable indefinitely.  The Z visa leads nowhere – it would not allow undocumented immigrants to gain permanent resident (green card) status except through existing work or family sponsorships, some of which the plan would also choke off. 

The Z plan would also impose huge fines and fees on the undocumented, totaling $3,500 every three years (with each renewal).  In addition, any Z visa holder fortunate enough to qualify for permanent resident status would need to pay $10,000 on top of the green card application fees.  These charges would put Z visas, not to mention green cards and citizenship, beyond reach for many immigrants.

On top of all this, Z visa holders would need to pass an English and American history test before they can renew their visas the first time, that is, after three years.  This test would be the same one given to citizenship applicants.  In other words, undocumented immigrants would need to pass a US citizenship test, but would not get anywhere closer to citizenship.

Set up a class of exploitable workers

The plan also creates a guest worker program that creates two kinds of “Y” temporary visas, each of which requires workers to return to their home country before they can get them renewed.  This return requirement amounts to an incentive for employers to treat Y workers as disposable labor.  Also, the program offers no wage and hour, workplace safety, or other protections for these workers, and thus enables employers to drive down working conditions not just for these workers, but for all workers.

“Show me your papers”

Under the secret plan, none of these programs would begin until several “triggers” are met, including setting up 370 miles of border fencing, reaching 18,300 Border Patrol staff, and setting up an employment verification process.  This last item would require identity documents from everyone seeking to work in the US, including US citizens, and set up a de facto national ID card.

Tell the White House What You Think!