STRIVE
On March 22, Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. proposed new legislation entitled the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007, or STRIVE. The legislation calls for undocumented immigrants to pay a $1,000 fine to obtain a six-year temporary work visa. It would be valid for three years plus a three-year extension at which point one would have to leave the country and apply as any other applicant for U.S. residency/visas. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in Congress. I like the fact that it doesn’t just rip families apart and send them packing. Rather, they get the chance to take a few years, make plans and save money in preparation for their departure. As I’ve said before, a lot of undocumented immigrants just want to work a few years to save money and then they plan to return to their home countries. Hopefully they will see this as a positive plan rather than a punitive one.
Right now the law states that if you enter the country illegally, you have to leave for 10 years before you can return. I haven’t seen a time provision in the limited discussion of the new bill thus far but there is a second $1,000 fine that one would have to pay along with the regular fees to adjust their status once they leave the country. Since people are willing to pay coyotes several thousand dollars to bring them to the U.S., $1,000 doesn’t seem like too high a price to pay for the chance to return legally. However, these fines will not discourage people from coming over illegally if they aren’t paired with a faster decision-making period on pending applications. The USCIS is just too overworked and slow and, as a result, families make desparate choices when they feel like they can’t wait any longer to receive a decision on their fate.
