Speech #980004849

This is not a blanket amnesty. The legalization program is a carefully controlled. casebycase determination by the Attorney General whether an individual who has been in this country a minimum of over 3 years should be allowed to achieve legal status. Each individual who applies for legalization will have to convince the Attorney General that he or she has been a positive contributor to our society and has not run afoul of the law. save for not having proper immigration documents. People who are legalized do not immediately become U.S. citizens. Rather. they become either permanent resident aliens or temporary resident aliens. depending on their date of entry to the United States. Each individual will have to wait a minimum of 5 years before becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. The bill limits the eligibility of newly legalized aliens to receive welfare benefits. except for emergency medical care and specific aid to the blind. aged. or disabled. The legislation also authorizes funding for reimbursement to State and local governments for costs they incur because of the newly legalized aliens. Legalization is part of a package. a package to have a new. firm immigration policy. It is a simple fact that our country is not going to deport hundreds of thousands of individuals who have lived here for at least 3 years and have been contributors to our country. Spending scarce law enforcement dollars on trying to round these people up and deport them would be unwise. Allowing longstanding residents to become legalized will also benefit our country by ending the underground society in which they live. Their status as undocumented aliens makes law enforcement in our communities more difficult. in addition to leaving the people themselves vulnerable because of their undocumented status. There are various other parts of the bill which are also significant. Mr.