It’s not amnesty, and it calls for further securing borders, but at least on the surface it seems that the agreement reached in Congress this morning on how to handle the immigration issue in this country has some points in favor of immigrants currently in the U.S. While President Bush immediately praised the proposed legislation, Senator Ted Kennedy simultaneously lauded it, saying the agreement would bring immigrants and their families “out of the shadows and into the sunshine of American life,” by providing them opportunity to immediately correct their status.

So what are the key points of the proposed immigration bill and what would change? Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version:

A temporary worker program. A system would be created which would “give weight to immigrants’ education and to job skills deemed helpful to the economy in deciding whom to admit, using a point system to evaluate those qualifications. Family ties would remain an important factor,” according to the New York Times.

But others say that some family members could indeed be negatively affected by the new legislation. According to a Cornell Immigration Law professor:

“foreign-born spouses and minor children of United States citizens could still get green cards, but foreign-born siblings and adult children of citizens would be hurt.”

But the majority of the 12 million immigrants currently residing in the U.S. under undocumented status would obtain legalization, though not necessarily a path to citizenship:

Rather, they would have to “touch back” in their home countries and apply for green cards, like other immigrants seeking permanent residence in the United States.

On the flip side, the bill would:

Add 6,000 more Border Patrol agents, establish an employment verification system mandatory for employers to check the status of new hires, and toughen interior enforcement.

What are your thoughts on the bill? Is it a good middle ground compromise, or will it only make it harder for new immigrants to come to the U.S.?

Via / New York Times and Atlanta Journal Constitution

Image via AP