Local Immigrants Eye Bill With Mix of Hope and Suspicion

Mexicans line up outside de U.S. Consulate in Monterrey, Mexico, as they wait for a working visa interview, Thursday, May 17, 2007. Key senators in both the Democrat and the Republican parties, together with the White House, announced an agreement Thursday on an immigration overhaul that would grant quick legal status to millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S. and fortify the border. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias) (Guillermo Arias - AP)

Jaime Contreras, president of the National Capital Immigration Coalition, said that was too heavy a burden. "Instead of creating more strain on families, it would be much more humane and common sense to let the head of the family stay here."

Another potential sticking point is that illegal immigrants who get Z-visas under the plan would be unable to sponsor children or spouses overseas until they become legal permanent residents -- a process that could take up to 13 years.

"The reality is people are just not going to wait that long," said Kevin Appleby, director of migration and refugee policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He added that it "will just encourage more undocumented immigration. What you'll see is a lot of women and children continuing to come across the border."

Groups that assist families of legal immigrants said the proposed bill would unfairly penalize hundreds of thousands who have obeyed the law and waited abroad for their turn to be united with relatives who had legally immigrated to the United States.

For example, foreigners who have applied for legal permanent residency under categories that are slated to be eliminated under the bill -- such as adult children and siblings of U.S. citizens -- will be grandfathered in only if they filed their application before May 2005. An estimated 800,000 who applied after that date will lose their chance to immigrate.

In addition, spouses and minor children of legal permanent residents, who already faced a five- to 10-year delay to immigrate, would have to wait up to 20 years.

"We think this sends a ridiculous message because some people who came illegally can now go through the legalization process, while some who tried to play by the rules now find the rules going against them," said Karen Narasaki, president of the Asian American Justice Center in Washington.

While immigrant advocates criticized the proposal as making it too hard for illegal immigrants to obtain legal status, area organizations that oppose illegal immigration complained that the bill is far too lenient on foreigners who entered the country illegally.

"This bill would grant amnesty to folks who broke the law, which is outrageous," said Greg Letiecq, a community activist in Manassas. "It allows people who broke the law to buy their way out of the consequences. They should be prosecuted and deported."

Letiecq said the idea of seeking a broad immigration bill through bipartisan compromise was a mistake. Instead, he said various aspects of the issue, including border enforcement, should be considered separately.