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 Press Briefing 05/25/2006 — Thursday, May 25, 2006 — MR. SNOW: Well, I don't think I've got a full roster of the President's bedside reading, but I think it's safe to say that in assembling the comprehensive immigration reform, people have taken a very close look at what happened in 1986. Let me give you a couple of examples. In 1986, Congress declared an amnesty for three million people who were here illegally, that said, okay, fine, go about your business, no crime, nothing. They also drafted a bill that made it a misdemeanor to cross America's borders without proper documentation or having done what is standard and usual for those who wish to become citizens. For this misdemeanor, it assigned no penalty. Now, what the President has done is he's taken a look at this and he's said, that's not good enough. So as part of comprehensive reform, what are we saying to those who are here illegally? And during that span, during that 20-year span, 11 or 12 million people have made their way illegally into the United States, many across the Mexican border, many from elsewhere. The President has said we need to make sure that we have penalties not only that are serious but enforceable. So for those that have crossed the border, those who have committed that misdemeanor, number one, you're going to have to pay a penalty. Members of Congress are talking about $1,000, $2,000. That will be hashed out. Number two, you're going to have to pay back taxes. Number three, as the Senate voted this week, at least according to one proposal, you're going to have to -- if you've committed one felony or three misdemeanors, you're out of here. There is also a continuous work requirement; you can't not work. So what you're putting together now is a requirement. This is just -- these are baseline requirements for people who have been here illegally. Now, once you've met all that, what do you do? You basically go to the back of the line and you're on probation for 11 or 12 years. During that time, you have to keep your nose clean, you have to keep working, you have to pay taxes. We've got to know where you are. You're going to get a -- you're going to get an identification card, a tamper-proof ID, that is going to have biometric information. Furthermore, your employer now, who in the past may have had excuses, that employer may have been able to say, I don't know, that driver's license looked good to me, that fake birth certificate looked perfectly legal, can't do it anymore. You've now got somebody who's got biometric information, and if that employer does not, in fact, have that information, the employer now is liable in a way that he wasn't before. There's no place to hide. In addition -- I know you want to ask the question, but I'm giving you the full answer here. You've got to relish every moment of this. Q I'm very grateful. MR. SNOW: So now you're in this process, they got a dozen years probation, they got to keep clean, the employers don't have any place to hide, they've got to master the English language. People who, at the end of this process stand up, put their hands up and take the oath will have spent more money and waited longer than any group in American history for the right to become American citizens. So these are -- if you want to test the people who really want to be Americans -- I mean, really, really want to be Americans -- this is it. It's a significant difference from 1986, which is, hey, come on, no harm, no foul. White House Press Corps | Press Briefing | Tony Snow | News Media | Bush Administration | Immigration >> Full Story
Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 11:56:00 PM
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