STRIVE Act
STRIVE Act
Date: Thursday, March 22, 2007 11:27 PM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1661 -- 3/22/2007 >>>>>
Representatives Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced a
new amnesty bill that gives citizenship to illegal aliens and it contains
large increases in "guest" worker programs. The bill is called the
"Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of
2007" (STRIVE ACT).
Not much information is available as far as specifics yet, but it basically
sounds like STRIVE incorporates many elements of the Senate McCain/Kennedy
bill. That's bad news, because if this monster ever passes the House it
will take no time at all for the House and Senate to merge the two bills,
and there is no doubt President Bush would sign it.
Calling this bill a "Vibrant Economy Act" is so big-brotherish it's almost
funny! This proposed bill is a diabolical job destruction bill that will
lay to waste whatever is left of the American labor market.
Here are a few of the worst of the guest-worker provisions in the bill:
* 400,000 guest worker visas per year will be issued for so-called
low-skilled workers. After a certain amount of time of indentured
servitude, these foreign workers will be given green cards for permanent
residency.
* 115,000 H-1B visas can be issued for skilled workers in the first year,
and in subsequent years the cap can rise to 180,000.
* Unlimited visas for nurses and perhaps other types of medical
professionals.
* I don't have any information on other aspects of the bill such as student
visas, but Flake has said before that he believes a green card should be
stapled to every engineering, science, and computer diploma earned by
foreign students. Don't be surprised if the STRIVE bill has something like
the F-4 visa from last year's Skil bill.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE STRIVE ACT: The bill
allows large numbers of both skilled and unskilled workers. You have
nothing to worry about if you are outside of those two categories.
If you want to do something about this, please go to the NumbersUSA
website. You can send a fax by going here:
http://capwiz.com/caps/issues/alert/?alertid=9541101&type=CO
Since I live near Flake's district, I am often asked what can be done to
stop Jeff Flake from pushing for amnesty and large H-1B increases. The
short answer is nothing! He isn't willing to listen to our concerns and
there is not a chance that he will ever change. Don't get me wrong, local
activists and I have gone to his office to try to talk some sense into
them, but it was just a wasted effort. Flake is as hard-headed and arrogant
as a politician can be.
My district, which is adjacent to Flake's, booted out Hayworth, who opposed
amnesty in favor of Mitchell who supports it. Arizona voters are like Dr.
Jekyl and Mr. Hyde when it comes to immigration -- they are eager to vote
for propositions that crack down on illegal aliens while at the same time
they are not willing to vote for politicians who are tough on immigration.
Jeff Flake is very popular in his district, and the local newspapers and
media adores him. Flake got 75% of the votes in 2006 so threatening him
politically is futile. Flake is from a rich Mormon family and that fact
alone will insure his victory in elections because his stronghold in Mesa,
Arizona which is politically controlled by the Mormon Church. Discussing
the religious aspects of immigration is out of the scope of this newsletter
but suffice it to say that the Mormon Church is a big supporter of
increased immigration and amnesty for illegal aliens. Unfortunately Flake's
advocacy of open-borders will probably earn him points with the Mormon
Church and won't hurt with Mesa voters.
As for Gutierrez, he is an open-border ideologue. Every time I see him on
Lou Dobbs I want to punch him in the face. He is such a nice guy and acts
so cool it's downright sickening.
Materials Included
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198500203
New Immigration Bill Has Some Familar H-1B Visa Proposals
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immig21mar21,0,593606.story?coll=la-home-headlines
House immigration bill offers citizenship
http://hammondlawgroup.blogspot.com/
STRIVE ACT COMING THIS WEEK?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/20/AR2007032001605.html?sub=new
Uneasy Alliance Over Legalizing Workers
http://www.filipinonurses2us.com/
Potential new laws to relieve Visa Retrogression
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0703/22/ldt.01.html
Dobbs Trancript: March 22, 2007
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198500203
New Immigration Bill Has Some Familar H-1B Visa Proposals
The "Strive Act," which addresses many hot-button issues, including border
security, might have a better chance of passage this time around.
By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, InformationWeek
March 22, 2007
A new session of Congress means a new round of immigration reform bills.
The first among the new proposals -- touting a familiar provision to raise
the H-1B visa cap-- was slated for introduction today in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
The comprehensive, bi-partisan "Security Through Regularized Immigration
and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007," or Strive Act, is being unveiled by
congressmen Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.
The new legislation is a comprehensive immigration reform bill that
addresses many hot-button issues, including border security, that were also
featured in other reform bills introduced last year in the Senate and
House, but which failed to get traction.
Like those earlier sidelined bills, Strive proposes to increase the annual
cap on H-1B visas -- the visa most commonly used for foreign technology
pros -- from the current ceiling of 65,000 to 115,000. The Strive act also
proposes increasing the limit up to 180,000 in subsequent years if the
115,000 cap is reached during a given fiscal year. In addition, the bill
proposes exempting from the cap certain individuals who have earned an
advanced degree in science, technology, engineering, or math at U.S.
schools.
In the last several years, the H-1B cap has been hit months before the new
fiscal year even began.
The U.S. government on April 1 will begin accepting H-1B petitions for
fiscal 2008, which begins on Oct. 1.
A spokesman for Flake says the Strive act "is a continuation" of the sort
of reforms that were proposed last year. However, the representative is
"hopeful" the Strive bill will pass because "the Democrats want
comprehensive reform."
Among the bills that lost steam last year in the Senate was the Skil bill,
which was more narrowly focused than the other immigration reform bills
that were introduced. The Skil bill zeroed in on issues related to raising
the annual H-1B visa cap and streamlining processes related to so-called
employment-based green cards, or permanent residency.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immig21mar21,0,593606.story?coll=la-home-headlines
House immigration bill offers citizenship
The effort includes measures to appeal to conservatives, including tougher
security and enforcement and a requirement that illegal immigrants leave
and return.
By Nicole Gaouette and Teresa Watanabe
Times Staff Writers
March 21, 2007
WASHINGTON - Two lawmakers will fire the opening salvo in this year's
immigration debate Thursday when they introduce the first House bill in
many years to call for citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Reps. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) will unveil broad
legislation that would also create a new worker program, stiffen worker
verification procedures and overhaul the visa system to reduce waiting
times for legal immigrants.
In recognition of the tensions that surround the controversial issue, the
bill also contains provisions designed to appeal to conservatives who want
stronger border enforcement and oppose citizenship provisions that grant
amnesty to people in the country illegally.
One measure would ensure that tough border security and work-site
enforcement standards are met before other changes can go forward. Another
would require illegal immigrants eligible for citizenship under the bill to
leave the country and return legally.
The congressmen, veterans of the immigration issue, are introducing their
legislation at a time when Senate efforts to craft a bill have stalled,
even as the Bush administration has worked intensely to build GOP support.
Flake and Gutierrez worked with Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward M.
Kennedy (D-Mass.) to craft a joint bill before moving ahead on their own.
Kennedy praised their bill Tuesday and said he was optimistic a Senate bill
would soon follow. He said lawmakers wanted "a tough but fair bill that
strikes the right balance between protecting our security, strengthening
our economy, and enacting laws that uphold our humanity."
Early reaction from conservative Republicans was guarded. "They seem to be
moving in the right direction here," said Rep. Brian P. Bilbray (R-Solana
Beach), "but moving away from rewarding people for being here illegally is
an essential part of repairing our immigration system."
On Tuesday, Gutierrez emphasized that their chances of success would dim if
the House and Senate did not pass their respective bills by July, because
the approaching election year would make it harder. He also noted that the
bill had to have bipartisan support to pass.
As part of the pitch for conservative support, Gutierrez pointed to the
provision requiring illegal immigrants to leave the country.
"This will say, 'Listen, you left and you - actually went through the legal
process of entering the United States,' " he said in a conference call with
members of the nation's ethnic media. "Is it going to sound somewhat absurd
to some people? Certainly it will. But it's a requirement that many
[Republicans] wish in the bill."
Illegal immigrants would be eligible for legalization if they arrived in
the U.S. before June 1, 2006. They would have to pay a $2,000 fine and back
taxes, and pass background and security checks. If after six years they
have learned English and civics, kept a clean record, and the head of
household has left and reentered the U.S. legally, they could become legal
permanent residents, a step toward citizenship.
Unlike a Senate bill passed last year, those leaving the U.S. would not
have to go to their home countries, but could travel to Canada or Mexico.
Exceptions to the requirement would be made for children, the elderly,
single heads of households, business owners and those in military service.
Much of the bill is based on work Flake and Gutierrez did with McCain and
Kennedy last year.
More than half of it deals with border security and enforcement.
Gutierrez said the bill's border security provisions focused more on "smart
technology, not fences." They call for more border patrol agents and better
coordination with Latin American countries.
The bill would increase penalties for crimes committed by immigrants,
including human smuggling, gang activity, and visa and document fraud.
Unlike the enforcement-only bill passed by the House last year, the
Flake-Gutierrez legislation would allow immigrants some access to courts.
The legislation would mandate a new biometric system that employers would
use to verify that workers have legal status. Gutierrez said the
administration had pledged to have a system in place by the end of 2008.
The bill incorporates the "Dream Act," which would allow illegal immigrants
to pay in-state rates for college tuition and give those brought to the
United States as youngsters a way to gain citizenship.
Flake and Gutierrez have folded in the AgJobs bill, which would create a
dedicated-worker program for the agricultural industry.
They have also crafted a more general program that would admit up to
400,000 low-skilled workers a year for jobs that employers were unable to
fill with Americans. The Department of Homeland Security would have to
certify that it could accurately verify those workers' documents before the
program could begin.
These "new workers," as Gutierrez calls them, would be guaranteed the same
wages and working conditions as Americans, and could change jobs. The visas
would be good for three years, and renewable for another three years. After
that, according to Angela Kelley of the National Immigration Forum, workers
would be eligible to apply for permanent residency through an employer
petition or, after five years, by petitioning on their own.
"This isn't about people coming here temporarily, working and then shipping
them off," Gutierrez said, "but about new workers incorporating themselves
and, if they wish, integrating themselves fully and their families into the
very fiber of American society."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://hammondlawgroup.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
STRIVE ACT COMING THIS WEEK?
At least one newspaper, the LA Times, is reporting that the House will
introduce their Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. HLG understands that
it will be called, Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant
Economy Act of 2007 (STRIVE ACT).
The bill is co-sponsored by Jeff Flake (R-Az) (who also introduced last
year's SKIL Bill) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL). The Strive Act was apparently
the work of these two in concert with the Senate leadership's CIR bill,
which may follow shortly thereafter. It is expected (although we have not
confirmed it) that the Schedule A exemption should be part of the Strive
Act. (It was part of Rep. Flake's SKIL Bill and the Senate's CIR).
In other news we are still pushing for an amendment for a quicker bill that
would exempt Schedule A occupations from the immigrant visa quota. There is
no news on this front. Everyone in DC is keeping their strategy quiet.
Whenever we get additional information we will promptly post.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/20/AR2007032001605.html?sub=new
Uneasy Alliance Over Legalizing Workers
Business, Labor Groups Lobby for Immigration Law
By Krissah Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 21, 2007; D03
Reflecting the importance of immigrant workers to the U.S. economy,
business and labor groups are fighting to shape a bill overhauling
immigration law that could be introduced as early as this week.
Although they all want Congress to legalize the nation's 12 million illegal
immigrants, they differ on how it should be done. The result is a tug of
war that is pulling negotiations in various directions as legislators
prepare to restart debate on comprehensive immigration legislation.
Advocates ranging from flower wholesalers to computer programmers from
India are bombarding legislators on the run-up to the bill's introduction,
hoping their proposals will be included.
Reps. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) are hashing out a
bill and plan to introduce it this week or next, a Gutierrez aide said.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) has said he plans to put forward
legislation passed last year by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Both houses
considered immigration proposals last year but failed to reach a compromise
and efforts for a wide-ranging overhaul died.
Proponents of legalization have a hodge-podge of requests, resulting in a
slew of competing messages along from a growing number of
immigration-related business coalitions.
Five human resources organizations, including the Society for Human
Resource Management and the American Council on International Personnel,
are asking Congress to reject an expansion of the Department of Homeland
Security's pilot employee verification program which has had inconsistent
results.
A coalition of business groups with members as varied as the National
Restaurant Association and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of
America are lobbying for an increase in both temporary visas and green
cards for immigrants.
Microsoft, Intel and other tech companies want the right to bring as many
highly skilled immigrants to the United States as the market will support.
The requests have little in common and each contingent is striving to make
its voice loudest.
A human resources group has sent a few hundred people to Capitol Hill to
lobby their representatives, telling them that an improved process for
verifying workers' documentation "is the lynchpin on which any successful
immigration reform has to work," said Susan Meisinger, president of the
Society for Human Resource Management.
Aman Kapoor, who founded a grass-roots group of mostly computer programmers
from India and China who hold temporary H-1B visas for skilled workers, has
traveled to Washington from his home in Tallahassee every two weeks for the
past several months to push his message on Capitol Hill.
"It will take me almost 20 years to become a citizen," he said last week
before meeting with Patton Boggs, the lobbying firm that he and other H-1B
holders hired to advocate for provisions to help alleviate the green card
backlog.
Despite the varying agendas, most advocates of immigration legislation are
basically aligned. If one group gets what it wants, the others won't be
harmed. A more serious rift has formed between two of the most powerful
backers of an overhaul, the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The groups are deeply divided over a guest-worker program. The AFL-CIO, the
nation's largest coalition of labor unions, opposes such programs but wants
undocumented workers to be legalized. That would give illegal immigrants
the right to organize and join unions. The union federation wants any
immigrant worker program to include provisions of the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act,
a law requiring federal contractors to pay a prevailing local wage.
The chamber badly wants the ability to legalize undocumented workers and
free employers of the liability and scrutiny that the growing illegal
workforce has brought to business. But the group will withdraw its support
and lobby against the bill if the prevailing wage requirement is included,
saying that it would drastically increase costs.
"Organized labor is risking flushing down the toilet the future of 10
million undocumented workers on the altar of this Davis-Bacon expansion,"
said Randel Johnson, a vice president at the Chamber of Commerce. "They are
risking the entire bill."
Compromise is the only solution, said Angela Kelley, deputy director of the
National Immigration Forum, which has united groups that support legalizing
undocumented immigrants.
"All of them ultimately have to ride the same big train," Kelley said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.filipinonurses2us.com/
March 20, 2007
Potential new laws to relieve Visa Retrogression
It is believed that there is a bigger chance that the new Immigration
Reform Bill will be passed, since the Democrats have now taken the majority
of the US Congress. However, it is taking time for the debate and there is
still no guarantee of passage.
The new Immigration Reform Bill should include either temporary or
permanent visa allocation to the Schedule A Worker. Many resolutions have
been drafted and presented to the Congress, but none has made it to the
legislation process. Currently two types of bills are being debated. One
bill calls for Schedule A occupations to be quota free for 10 years and
would be a serious victory for Filipino Nurses. The second calls for a more
short term solution of simply allocating more visas in a special allotment.
We shall keep our readers informed as these bills make their way through
the US legislature.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0703/22/ldt.01.html
Aired March 22, 2007 - 18:00 ET
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): House members Luis
Gutierrez and Jeff Flakes are the architects of the first major immigration
bill introduced in Congress this year.
REP. JEFF FLAKE, (R) AZ: And the planets are finally aligned, I think, to
get this done.
SYLVESTER: The bill would invite 400,000 new guest workers in every year,
double the cap in last year's Senate bill.
Those new workers and their immediate family would be eligible for
citizenship after five years. That's on top of the 12 million plus illegal
aliens in the United States who would be granted amnesty after paying a
$2,000 fine and back taxes and enrolling in English classes.
There is a new condition called a touchback. Illegal aliens would have to
leave the United States, even if it's just for a day. That's drawing
ridicule from some on Capitol Hill.
REP. TOM TANCREDO, (R) CO: It doesn't say you have to go to the country of
origin. You just have to go out of the country a little bit. It's a
vacation. It's called a vacation in anybody else's language. In the bill,
it's called "touchback." It's idiotic.
SYLVESTER: Others are taking issue with the so-called guest worker program.
ROSEMARY JENKS, NUMBERSUSA: It's not a guest worker program. It's a foreign
worker importation program that will be permanent, 400,000 a year. It will
devastate low income, low scale workers in this country, particularly
minorities and recent immigrants.
SYLVESTER: The bill would require employers to try to hire U.S. workers
first. And U.S. companies would not be able to import foreign workers to
areas with high unemployment.
The bill also calls for establishing for a mandatory employment
verification system, hiring more border agents and developing a biometric
employment card for new foreign workers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SYLVESTER (on camera): The bill's sponsors have the work cut out for them.
First, they have to shepherd this legislation through the House Judiciary
Committee. Neither Flake nor Gutierrez sits on that committee. Then, they
have to convince conservative Democrats to back what many Americans see as
an amnesty bill and then they need to convince a number of Republicans to
support the legislation. Right now, they only have six republican sponsors.
Lou?
DOBBS: All right, Lisa. Well, we're going to be talking with one of the
sponsors of that legislation here in just a few second. Luis Gutierrez,
congressman from Illinois.
That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight. Do you believe as
Congressman Flake does that, quote, "The planets are finally aligned," end
quote, to give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens in this country? Yes
or no? Please cast your vote at loudobbs.com. The results upcoming.
Today, Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez, along with Congressman Flake
introduced the Strive Act of 2007. The bipartisan legislation promises to
overhaul immigration, much as the same way that the Edwards-McCain - the
Kennedy-McCain bill promised to do.
The Strive Act contains what some call a controversial provision requiring
illegal aliens to leave the U.S. and to return legally.
Congressman Gutierrez is a strong supporter of amnesty for as many as 20
million illegal aliens in this country and he joins us tonight from Capitol
Hill. Congressman, good to have you with us.
REP. LUIS GUTIERREZ, (D) CA: Thank you, Lou, for having me.
DOBBS: This legislation, this is actually, what, the third time, that
you've introduced legislation?
GUTIERREZ: This is the second time we've introduced bipartisan legislation.
We introduced it in the 109th and now in the 110th Congress.
DOBBS: What is -- I guess I have to ask you straightforwardly, what is the
point of introducing this legislation again at this point? What is the
first thing you want to accomplish? GUTIERREZ: The first thing I want to
accomplish is end illegal immigration in the United States of America. And
I want to fix our broken immigration system.
That's why this is a comprehensive. There's over 700 pages in this bill. It
deals with everything from smart border security. Smart border security.
And smart border security. Putting more patrol agents. Using a biometric
cards so we know who is in the country. It's untamperable. Workers - we're
going to know who those workers are. We'll have the thumbprint. We want to
know and secure America.
We also put more provisions in it so we can fight against those who deal in
illegal immigration. Those who are involved in gang and drug activities are
also included in the bill.
And at the same time, we want to invite those to come out of the shadows
and participate fully in our economy. And I think I shared with you before,
Lou, I have yet to see a proposal that's going to sweep 11, 12, 13 million
undocumented workers off our streets and send them back to their countries
of origin.
So I want to fix the broken immigration system. And I know you keep saying
it's amnesty. And I keep thinking to myself, you know, if I forgot, or just
overlooked a past offense, maybe that's amnesty.
But this is really an earned legalization program where they pay a fine,
$2,000. And I'll just end with this before your next question, you know,
usually, our law has stated in the past, in order to become an American
citizen, you had to learn English, you had to take civics class and you had
to pass the test.
DOBBS: Right.
GUTIERREZ: Now we're saying if you want to become a permanent resident of
the United States after joining this program for six years, then you have
to show that you're English competent and have a civics understanding of
our nation.
DOBBS: I think that's wonderful. I truly do. I think that's a wonderful
requirement. But help me through a couple things. Is there anything in the
legislation that requires that our borders and ports, I mean, be secure?
GUTIERREZ: Yes, we have triggers. We have triggers in the legislation.
DOBBS: All right.
GUTIERREZ: And well get that over to you. And what our legislation says is,
before you can start any new worker program, inviting new workers to this
country, or before you can even engage in legalization of those that are
already here, the Department of Homeland Security has to establish that the
new technology is in place. That it's available. That the funding is there.
That the Border Patrol agents are -- so there are triggers. That biometric
card, you don't have a biometric system that guarantees ...
DOBBS: Congressman, in all respect, you and I, we've known each other a
long time. We disagree with each other about a lot of things. But you and I
can agree with, I think, this, the Homeland Security Department is a
screwed up mess. And can't even implement the U.S.- Visit program.
In the Citizen and Immigration Services has a backlog that is numbered in
the millions of people trying to get into this country legally. And the
second part is, we've heard Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland
security talk about sometimes, maybe we'll get to operational control. Not
too sure.
Democratic leaders of the Congress, that they want to implement the fence.
Then people talking about a virtual fence. Does anybody really think the
American people are so stupid as to be gained again on the issue of border
security?
GUTIERREZ: Here's what we have, Lou, we put the money for virtual fences,
for new cameras, for new sensors, for new patrol agents, to gain control of
our border. I think essential to gaining control of our border is stopping
the flow of people trying to cross that border.
So we have a new program that says, look, here's the way to get to the
United States legally to get that job that you so desire. Therefore you
don't have to try to cross that border and endanger your life and endanger
the lives of our agents so we can focus on the terrorist element that's
trying to come into our country.
DOBBS: How about this instead, just as a thought -- make it an absolute
requirement, rather than triggers as you put it. Let's try something new in
Washington. Let's talk about results.
Once, once that it could be certified that our borders and ports are
secure. And we could set a number for that, to demonstrate that it is not
wide open. That actually, our borders are being enforced, how about that?
Rather than -- as a standard, rather than as a trigger?
GUTIERREZ: Well, we think the trigger has caused those standards to -- of
course, if you're going to say that those who are going to certify Homeland
Security are incompetent, then you and I will never reach a conclusion
about who is going to certify that the triggers are being in place.
DOBBS: Well, if you think I'm going to be in any way sad by listening to
anything that this secretary of homeland security says about nearly
anything, you would be correct.
Let me just show you something, if I may. Because I get kind of curious
about this. If we could, let's take a look at the number of people that
come into this country legally every year. Can we do that? We'll look at
full screen so the congressman can see this.
There's a lot of distortion here. I think it's important to get these facts
out. Two million people legally admitted to the United States each year. In
addition - 14 percent of those, by the way, those people given permanent
residency are from Mexico. Two million people legally admitted to the
United States. Four hundred thousand skilled foreign workers and their
families receive H-1 visas each year.
Nearly 900,000 other legal foreign workers are admitted on some type of
employment visa. Six-hundred sixty thousand student visas are issued every
year. And 455,000 people given temporary employment transfers.
Help me out. What are we trying to do here? I mean, we have -- we have an
-- lawful immigration system that brings in 2 million people a year, plus
all of these other workers that overwhelms any other immigration system in
the world. All of Russia, all of the European Union combined can't even
come close to matching our immigration levels. And that's a population 40
percent higher than our own. Help me out.
GUTIERREZ: Well, I can help you out. I will look at those figures. I hope
you -- It's a lot. I can't see them up on the screen. I can only ...
DOBBS: I was hoping you could see them?
GUTIERREZ: I can't. I can only look into the camera. I can't see them. I
would love to evaluate them, Lou. Come back, talk to you some more about
that. But my initial ...
DOBBS: Congressman, you're one of my favorite people. You're always welcome
here.
GUTIERREZ: Thank you. But kind of my initial reaction, is a lot of those
people overstay their visas. We've got to stop that. And they are
compounding the problem of undocumented workers. That's probably why a lot
of them cross the border, they come here legally, overstay their visa.
We have got to deal with that, Lou. I want to deal with that in a very
serious manner, that's why we need the biometric system. So you can't just
jump from job to job. You need a system that you say, you know, this card,
you can't alter it, you can't fake it, you can't counterfeit it.
And the lesson, Lou -- I just want to tell your reporter, I am on the
Judiciary Committee, the committee of jurisdiction. The Democratic Caucus
put me on the committee so that could help move the legislation forward.
DOBBS: Let me say two things. One is congratulations.
GUTIERREZ: Thank you.
DOBBS: And I apologize for our error.
GUTIERREZ: No ... DOBBS: Thank you. Congressman Luis Gutierrez. Come back
next week. We'll talk some more.
GUTIERREZ: Thanks. I look forward to it.
DOBBS: Thank you.
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