Speech #1090133850

The problem is this. Mr. President: Under the current bill. about 80 percent of the $2.000 paid by undocumented immigrants at the time they apply for a green card or legal permanent residency. 80 percent of that $2.000 fee goes for border security. Ten percent of it goes to administering the process provided for under the underlying bill and another 10 percent for other uncovered administrative costs. In other words. there is an 8020 split of the $2.000 that are paid by undocumented immigrants at the time they regularize their status. in contrast with the Clinton amendmentthe Senator from New York provides essentially an 80. 10. and 10 split. with 80 percent of the money going for border security. 10 percent going to a State impact fund. and 5 percent each for the administrative costs. In other words. rather than an 8020 distribution. the Senator from New York sets aside 10 percent for the State impact fund. and then retains an additional 10 percent to pay for the administrative costs. The difference between the Cornyn amendment and the Clinton amendment is this: The Clinton amendment takes money away from the program that administers this immigration reform bill in order to pay the State and local taxpayers under the impact fund. I dont think most of our colleagues are familiar with this. but actually the $2.000 that is required to be paid under this bill is not paid at the time that illegal aliens get a H2C card and remain in the country for approximately 6 years. pending their application for a green card or legal permanent residency. It is only at the time they apply for their green card or legal permanent residency that money is due. So for 6 years. they are able to stay in the country with an H2C card without paying a penny. while continuing to impose financial burdens on local taxpayers for health and educational costs that are unreimbursed. Under my proposal. they will get money right away as the money and costs are being incurred and not some 6 to 8 years later. Finally. under my proposed fee. which is a surcharge paid. $750. at the very time that a person enters in the system. not waiting 6 years when they apply for their green card. By paying $750 a person and an additional $100 for each family member. this will generate about $7.5 billion in money for this State Impact Fund as opposed to approximately $1.3 to $1.5 billion under the Clinton amendment. Just by way of comparison. in 1986 when the U.S. Congress granted amnesty to 3 million undocumented immigrants. it set aside $4 billion In taxpayer money to help reimburse the States for these uncompensated costs. In other words. $4 billion for 3 million undocumented immigrants to regularize their status. Yet under this bill. if passed. the bill would regularize four times the number of people. Yet under the Clinton amendment it would only provide $1.3 to $1.5 billion for State impact funds.