Related Information

 

2000 Census Demographic Profile Highlights

Hispanic or Latino Population in Columbia, Missouri

The United States and Immigration

From the Penguin Group reading guide.

The debate over immigration continues to escalate across the nation, particularly in California, and this sampling of quotations and statistics from various newspapers and magazines and web sites sheds light on the issue.

  • History suggests that those who truly yearn to come to America and stay will find a way to do it. (Newsweek, August 9, 1993)
  • "All Americans...are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country.... We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it." (President Clinton, "We Heard America Shouting," Address to Joint Session of Congress, January 25, 1995)
  • "Our immigration policy is a measure of who we are as a people. I believe we are a people who draw strength from our diversity and meet our challenges head on. I believe we want and deserve immigration laws that favor those who play by the rules." (Bill Bradley, former U.S. Senator, New Jersey, The New Jersey Record, June 8, 1995)
  • About 800,000 people follow the rules and enter the United States legally as immigrants each year. An additional 200,000 to 300,000 come to the country illegally. (San Francisco Chronicle, December 5, 1995)
The following additional quotations were compiled by DBRL staff.
  • As of March, more than 754,000 green card applications were pending, including more than 180,000 that had been in process for more than six months and others that have been “shelved” because no visas are available for that category, according to u.s. citizenship and immigration Services spokesman Chris Bentley.” (Giovanna Dell’Orto, Associated Press Writer, The Columbia Daily Tribune, May 25, 2006)
  • “Nobody can estimate the economic value of work done by some 12 million illegals, who do unpopular work for low wages and don’t complain about anything lest they be deported.” (Henry J. Waters III, Columbia Daily Tribune, April 2, 2006)
  • For Mexicans who try to immigrate legally, the line can seem endless. A Mexican who has become a naturalized United States citizen and wants to bring an adult son or daughter to live here faces a wait of at least 12 years, State Department rosters show. The wait is as long as seven years for a legal resident from Mexico who wants to bring a spouse and young children (“Rules Collide With Reality In the Immigration Debate,” Julia Preston, New York Times, May 29, 2006)
  • The Senate approved a wide-ranging overhaul of immigration laws Thursday, (May 25, 2006) voting 62-36 to bolster security at the Mexican border and to grant many illegal immigrants a path toward citizenship. (Cnn.com May 26, 2006)
  • The House's immigration bill is tough on security. But so is the Senate's. The House wants 700 miles of new fencing on the Mexican border; the Senate wants 370, with another 500 miles of vehicle barriers. That looks like mere miles apart to us. ("An Immigration Victory," New York Times, May 27, 2006)

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006

From CNN.com


Security
  • Authorizes enhanced border security measures, including the addition of a 370-mile, triple-layer fence along the border.
  • Authorizes President Bush's plan to send 6,000 National Guardsmen to the U.S.-Mexican border.
  • Bars those convicted of felonies or three misdemeanors from becoming legal residents or citizens.
  • Punishes employers who hire illegal immigrants with a fine up to $20,000 and three years in prison after an electronic verification system is established.

Guest workers

  • Creates a guest-worker program that would allow workers to work in the country for three years and be eligible for a three-year extension. The number of temporary-worker visas would be limited to 200,000 per year.

 

Legalization

Establishes a three-tiered path-to-citizenship program, which divides the 11 million to 12 million illegal workers in the United States into three groups:

  • Illegal immigrants here for more than five years could gain their citizenship after working for six years, learning English and paying a penalty and back taxes.
  • Illegal immigrants here from two to five years would have to return to an entry point and apply for a guest-worker program.
  • Workers here less than two years would have to return to their countries of origin.


Language

  • Declares English the "national" language of the United States.
  • Also declares English the "common and unifying" language of the United States.

 

S. 2611: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006


Status:

Passed Senate (90% of Democrats supporting, 59% of Republicans opposing.)
This bill has been passed in the Senate. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the House.

Introduced:

Apr 7, 2006

Last Action:

May 25, 2006: Passed Senate with amendments by Yea-Nay Vote. 62 - 36. Record Vote Number: 157.

Sponsor:

Sen. Arlen Specter [R-PA]

 

 

 

 


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