Amnesty for Illegals Sought in Bill

By BART JANSEN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A coalition of advocacy groups is pushing for amnesty for illegal aliens and other immigration reforms to piggyback on federal legislation that would increase the number of visas for high tech workers.

Groups ranging from the National Council for La Raza to Americans for Tax Reform joined former Housing secretaries Jack Kemp and Henry Cisneros in advocating the reform.

They said the amnesty provisions should be attached to legislation dramatically expanding the number of H-1B visas given to foreign college graduates often hired to write the latest software or design new computers.

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Under the coalition proposal, anyone who arrived illegally before 1986 would be eligible to apply for legal residence. Currently, only illegal immigrants who arrived before 1972 can seek legal status.

The groups also proposed giving immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Haiti the same special treatment now extended to people from Nicaragua and Cuba.

``We are going to be arm-in-arm for immigration reform,'' Kemp said.

Both initiatives are supported by the Clinton administration.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who drafted an immigration bill supported by the groups, said voters will blame House Republican leaders if it fails.

Opponents said Lofgren's proposal would grant amnesty to an estimated 1 million to 2 million illegal aliens.

``My advice to them is to just poll the audience; the American people will say no to amnesty,'' said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee, which already has rejected Lofgren's proposal.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., has refused to consider adding the provisions to Smith's H-1B bill. The committee was expected to complete its work on the bill today.

A broad consensus emerged in Congress this year to expand the H-1B visa program. H-1B visas are capped at 115,000 this fiscal year, but all of them were issued in the first six months. Under present law, the ceiling falls to 107,500 in 2001 and 65,000 a year thereafter. Meanwhile, high-tech industry officials say at least 300,000 jobs are going unfilled for lack of qualified U.S. applicants.

Another bill would raise the figure to about 200,000 visas per year. Some lawmakers want to increase the $500 fee for each visa and use the money to fund education and training programs for American workers.

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On the Net: National Immigration Forum: http://www.immigrationforum.org/

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas: www.house.gov/lamarsmith.

• Clinton Highlights H-1B Visas (May 12)
• U.S. May Increase High-Tech Visas (May 10)

Full Coverage See a Yahoo! special report on Immigration

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