Draft bill for US immigration reform is put forward in Washington
December 16 2009 by Liam Clifford
Law-makers urge support for new US immigration bill amid dozens of activists and immigrants.
In Washington a group of 87 Democratic law-makers proposed a draft bill for complete US immigration reform on Tuesday, that would begin policy to legalize illegal immigrants in the United States.
Barack Obama has said previously that he wants to ‘recognize and legalize’ this group of ‘undocumented immigrants,’ but the administrations’ plans have been hampered by a plethora of other important issues, including the economic crisis, conflict in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the ongoing climate-change negotiations.
Congressman Luis Gutierrez raised the new bill in the Capitol building surrounded by activists and families of US immigrants.
The new legislation is entitled the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2009"
Gutierrez reiterated the importance of the task ahead; "The only way we're going to win is if we show that (this bill) is greater than just another piece of legislation."
Within the proposal is reform to ‘secure the borders’ and be in control of who is in the country, added Democrat Solomon Ortiz.
The two previous attempts at US immigration reform have failed, in 2006 and 2007 the bill was not passed at the US congress despite support from the Bush administration.
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