June 23, 2011
Democrats have recently introduced significant immigration bills in the House and the Senate.
In the Senate, Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Harry Reid (D-NV), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Charles Schumer (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 (CIR Act of 2011). This bill is similar to the one introduced in 2010 by Senators Leahy and Menendez. As described by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), it includes fixes to the business and family visa systems and a required registration and legalization plan for the millions of undocumented living and working in the U.S. along with tough enforcement provisions such as increased border security, a mandatory employment verification system and stiffer penalties on illegal immigration.
In the House, Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, introduced the Immigration Driving Entrepreneurship in America (IDEA) Act (H.R. 2185). As described on Rep. Lofgren, this bill would facilitate U.S. companies obtaining green cards for advanced graduates in STEM fields from American universities, award green cards to entrepreneurs with significant start-up funding, eliminate employment-based green card backlogs and stream line the system, make changes to the H-1B and L visa classifications, including requiring higher wages, and reform the EB-5 Employer Creation Investor Program.
