At a Glance: Immigration Legislation

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By The Associated Press
Thu May 18, 10:55 AM ET



Highlights of immigration and border security bills, one now before the Senate and another already passed by the House.

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Senate bill:

_Allows illegal immigrants who have been in the country five years or more to remain, continue working and eventually become legal permanent residents and citizens after paying fines, back taxes and learning English.

_Requires illegal immigrants in the U.S. between two and five years to go to a point of entry at the border and file an application to return.

_Requires those in the country less than two years to leave.

_Illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors would be deported no matter how long they have been in the U.S.

_Creates a special guest worker program for an estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers, who could also earn legal permanent residency.

_Provides 200,000 new temporary "guest worker" visas a year.

_Authorizes 370 miles of new triple-layered fencing plus 500 miles of vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.

_Authorizes hiring an additional 1,000 Border Patrol agents this year, for a total additional 3,000 agents this year.

_Adds another 14,000 Border Patrol agents by 2011 to the current force of 11,300 agents.

_Authorizes additional detention facilities for apprehended illegal immigrants.

_Requires employers and subcontractors to use an electronic system within 18 months to verify new hires are legal. Increases maximum fines to employers for hiring illegal workers to $20,000 for each worker and imposes jail time for repeat offenders.

_Delays by 17 months, until June 1, 2009, a requirement now in law that Americans re-entering the U.S. after cruises or short visits to Canada and Mexico show a passport or high-tech identification card.

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House bill passed in December:

_No provisions providing path to legal residency or citizenship for illegal immigrants. No new temporary guest worker program.

_Makes illegal presence in the country a felony and increases penalties for first-time illegal entry to the U.S.

_Makes it a felony to assist, encourage, direct or induce a person to enter or attempt to enter or remain in the United States illegally.

_Beginning in six years, all employers would have to use a database to verify Social Security numbers of all employees.

_Increases maximum fines for employers of illegal workers from current $10,000 to $40,000 per violation and establishes prison sentences of up to 30 years for repeat offenders.

_Requires mandatory detention for all non-Mexican illegal immigrants arrested at ports of entry or at land and sea borders.

_Establishes mandatory sentences for smuggling illegal immigrants and for re-entering the U.S. illegally after deportation.

_Makes a drunken driving conviction a deportable offense.

_Requires building two-layer fences along 700 miles of the 2,000-mile border between Mexico and the United States.
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Can anyone tell me what was wrong with the bill passed in December?