US Senators push immigration plan

Seattle Police Department Sgt. Paul Gracy (left) seizes a missile launcher from Mason Vranish which Vranish had purchased outside a gun buyback programme in Seattle on Saturday. Police said they would determine if the weapon can be legally owned by the public, in which case the weapon would be returned. If possession of the launcher is illegal, police said, Vranish will receive a gun buyback voucher.

Reuters/Washington

A bipartisan group of US Senators has agreed on an immigration reform plan that would provide a path to citizenship for the 11mn illegal immigrants in the US but only after borders are better secured.

The plan, unveiled a day before President Barack Obama is to give a policy speech on immigration in Nevada, tackles the most explosive issue - how to deal with the millions of foreigners living in the US illegally.

Under the group’s proposal, undocumented immigrants would be allowed to register with the government, pay a fine, and then be given probationary legal status allowing them to work.

Ultimately, they would have to “go to the end of the line” and apply for permanent status, according to the document by eight Senators including Republicans Marco Rubio of Florida, John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

The White House praised the group’s efforts but warned that Obama would not be satisfied until there was meaningful reform. The president “will continue to urge Congress to act until that is achieved,” a White House spokesman said.

Under the plan, no one would be given more permanent legal status until new measures were implemented to stem the flow of immigrants across US borders, a critical concession to conservatives and border state members of congress.

The path to citizenship would also be contingent on a new enforcement measure to track the status of immigrants who may have overstayed visas, the document said.

The proposal resembles previous immigration bills - including a 2007 measure that died in Congress in part because of disagreement over the timing and balance of border-enforcement measures versus granting citizenship to the millions of undocumented immigrants.

But advocates noted that this time, the climate was ripe for immigration reform.

“Conservatives, law enforcers and businesses are calling for immigration reform. You did not see that in 2007,” said Ali Noorani, the executive director with the National Immigration Forum advocacy group.

Democrats have considered future citizenship for undocumented immigrants a “bottom line” for a bill, as Schumer said on Sunday at a news conference.

Republicans, in turn, have tended to stress border security.

While the framework released yesterday includes something for all these groups, translating the four-page outline into legislation with a chance of passing is likely to prove challenging, notwithstanding the bi-partisan makeup of the group and support that came early yesterday from US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Rubio’s involvement has helped give the plan credibility among some Republicans. His proposals have attracted support from influential conservatives, including former vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and TV commentator Bill O’Reilly.

Last year, Rubio had a hard time getting conservatives on board for allowing “dreamers” to stay here - children of illegals, many of whom have spent most of their lives in the US, are in the country through no fault of their own and attend US schools.

Rubio is a Cuban-American who is often mentioned as a presidential contender. He is a favourite of the Tea Party conservative movement.