The Kennedy McCain Bill

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The Kennedy/McCain Bill is the legislation most favoured by business groups throughout the U.S., as well as immigrant advocacy groups and the Irish government.

The Kennedy/McCain bill covers several issues but most importantly, it provides legal status for undocumented people already in the U.S.

Anyone in the country on the date of the bill’s introduction on May 12, 2005 would be eligible to come forward and register with the Department of Homeland Security, pay a $1,000 fee, go through background checks. Once that happens the person would be eligible for a work permit.

The person would have to commit to working for six years — at the end of the six years they would have to show evidence that they worked and paid their taxes, to be eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Kennedy/McCain also provides for a temporary worker program for new workers to legally come to the U.S., and it would make major changes to the existing avenues of immigration — specifically, the bill would add visas to eliminate the enormous backlog of cases that are currently awaiting action, many of which have been stagnant for years.

The bill also includes border security provisions and employer sanction penalties for hiring illegal aliens, but though it is backed by two prominent members of the Senate, it has run into stiff opposition from hard right elements that want to concentrate primarily on enforcement changes to immigration law.

After the Senate finishes dealing with the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, the Judiciary Committee will then debate the various immigration bills on the table. Once a bill emerges from Judiciary, it will make its way to the Senate floor for a full vote.

The timetable for action is late February/early March. Once the House and Senate passes bills, they will then be meshed together in a final House/Senate conference to come up with a final piece of legislation for President Bush to sign.

Debbie McGoldrick for The Irish Voice