GRASSLEY UNVEILS TOP 10 FLAWS WITH AMNESTY AND GUEST WORKER OF
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL
http://grassley.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=5073&Month=5&Year=2006

WASHINGTON --- Sen. Chuck Grassley today said the
immigration reform bill being debated in the U.S. Senate is riddled
with loopholes and flaws. During a speech on the Senate floor, he
outlined for the American people nearly 30 flaws within only two
sections of the bill.

“I was burned once in 1986 when I voted for amnesty
believing that it would solve our problems. Now, we have a 12 million
illegal immigrant problem. I’m not getting burned again,” Grassley
said. “Not only do we have a glide path to citizenship, but it’s a
glide path with plenty of loopholes that donÂ’t meet the common sense
test.”

Grassley has a number of amendments that would help fix
the shortcomings in the bill. ItÂ’s expected that debate on the bill
will conclude this week.

Here is a list of Grassley’s “Top 10.”

1. $2,000 Fine -- Under the bill, an illegal alien can go from
illegal to legal by paying a small fine of $2,000. Often, illegal
aliens will pay more than five times this amount to a smuggler to get
across the border. Also, the $2000 fine may not have to be paid until
year eight, which allows the illegal alien to live, work, and play in
the United States for years free from deportation. This imposes a
financial burden on the American taxpayer for health, education, and
infrastructure costs that arenÂ’t reimbursed for five or ten years.

2. Taxes -- Under the bill, illegal aliens get an option to
only have to pay three of their last five years in back taxes.
Law-abiding American citizens do not have the option to pay some of
their taxes. The bill would treat lawbreakers better than the
American people. The bill also makes the IRS prove that illegal
aliens have paid their back taxes. It will be impossible for the IRS
to truly enforce this because they cannot audit every single person in
this country.

3. Security Clearances in 90 days – Under the bill, the
Department of Homeland Security must perform background checks on
illegal aliens in the United States. It also encourages the federal
government to complete the background checks on 10 million illegal
aliens in 90 days. This is a national security concern because
Homeland Security will be pressured to complete these checks without
doing a thorough job.

4. Work Requirements – Under the bill, illegal aliens must
prove theyÂ’ve worked in the United States for three of the last five
years. It also says they have to work for six years after the date of
enactment of the bill. However, there is no continuous work
requirement for amnesty. They could work for 30 days, take off 30
days, work for 30 days. The bill also says that illegal aliens have
to prove that theyÂ’ve worked in the United States for three of the
last five years by showing IRS or Social Security records, or records
maintained by federal, state, or local governments, employers, unions
or day labor centers. However, the bill also allows illegal aliens to
ask anybody to attest that they have been employed. This invites
fraud, and the government cannot realistically investigate all these
cases.

5. Confidentiality – Under the bill, if an illegal alien
applies for amnesty, the federal government cannot use information
provided in the application for anything but adjudicating the
petition. For example, if illegal aliens write in their applications
that they are related to Osama Bin Laden, then our government cannot
use that information. In fact, it says that the Secretary of Homeland
Security can only share that information if someone requests it in
writing. This provision severely handicaps national security and
criminal investigators.

Also, if a federal agent does use information provided by an illegal
alien in an application for amnesty the agent would be fined $10,000.
This is five times more than the alien has to pay to get amnesty.

6. Social Security to illegal aliens -- Under the bill,
illegal aliens are not prohibited from getting credit for the money
theyÂ’ve put into the Social Security system if theyÂ’ve worked in the
U.S. illegally. Illegal immigrants who paid Social Security taxes
using a stolen Social Security Number did not do so with the
expectation that they would ever qualify for Social Security benefits.
(The Ensign amendment would have taken care of this, but it did not
pass.)

7. Employers get a tax pardon for hiring illegal aliens --
Under the bill, employers of aliens applying for adjustment of status
“shall not be subject to civil and criminal tax liability relating
directly to the employment of such alien.” Businesses that hired
illegal workers would now get off scott-free from paying the taxes
that they owe the government. This encourages employers to violate
our tax laws and not pay what they owe the federal government. In
addition to not having to pay their taxes, employers are also off the
hook for providing illegal aliens with records or evidence that they
have worked in the U.S. The employer is not subject to civil and
criminal liability for having employed illegal aliens in the past, or
before enactment.

8. Family Members of H-2C Visa Holder need not be healthy --
Under the bill, spouses and children of H-2C visa holders are exempt
from a requirement proving that they meet certain health standards.
The visa holder is required to undergo a medical exam, but their
family members are not which potentially puts Americans at risk.

9. Mandatory Departure isnÂ’t really Mandatory -- Under the
bill, the Secretary of Homeland Security “may grant” Deferred
Mandatory Departure to illegal aliens in the 2-5 year category. The
Secretary “may” also waive the departure requirement if it would
create substantial hardship for the alien to leave.

10. No Interview Required. – Under the bill, illegal aliens in
the 2nd tier who are required to leave the country can re-enter the
United States on a visa. However, the bill does not require these
individuals do not have to be interviewed. The bill doesnÂ’t give
discretion to our consular offices to require an interview. The 9/11
hijackers werenÂ’t subject to appear in person. Today, the State
Department requires most applicants to submit to interviews, and
waives them only for children and the elderly.