Immigration Reform: Nine Principles Plan Introduced By Democrats

Democratic heavy weights from both houses of Congress presented a plan with nine principles to guide the nation through “comprehensive” immigration reform. The politicians claimed that such a plan would contribute to the economic recovery, according to Fox News Latino.

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus held a press conference at the Capitol to unveil the immigration reform plan. The lawmakers insisted that changing the way immigration is handled in the United States could not be postponed any longer. The 113th Congress is the best time to bring illegal aliens “out of the shadows,” according to statements made during the revealing of the nine principles.

Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez believes that overhauling America’s immigration laws would enhance the country’s gross domestic product by approximately $1.5 trillion over the course of the next decade.

Illinois Democratic Representative Luis Gutierrez had this to about the nine principles plan:

“We can, and should, make history in this session of Congress by passing comprehensive immigration reform.”

The plan announced on Wednesday evening requests the registration of an estimated 11 million illegal aliens. The Democratic plan also seeks to prevent the separation of illegal immigrant families and asks for the legalization of illegal alien students. Visas for agricultural guest workers are also a part of the immigration reform plan. The plan also calls for bi-national separation protection for same-sex couples, according to the Huffington Post.

Illegal immigrants would have to submit to fingerprinting, learn English, and pay taxes. Those with criminal records would be “subject” to deportation. When asked why the group chose to put forth a plan instead of initiating a bill on the matter, they stated they wanted to engage in a “good faith” bipartisan process to initiate debate about immigration reform.