Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f1M2jB907634; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 21:45:11 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 21:45:11 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <3A947BE1.AFE059D7@interaccess.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Aliza Becker <alzbec@interaccess.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:5605] summary of amnesty bill X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win95; I) Status: O Content-Length: 2295 Lines: 46 Below is a summary of the amnesty bill by Fred Tsao, an attorney who works as the immigration and citizenship coordinator of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. The bill would cover all undocumented immigrants who entered the US before February 6, 2001. The bill would initially move the registry date to February 6, 1996. (The registry program allows immigrants who entered the US before a certain date, who have been present in the US since that date, and who are of good moral character, to acquire legal status. The current date is January 1, 1972.) On each following January 1, the date would then be moved forward one year until January 1, 2007, when the registry date will be February 6, 2001. The bill would also provide confidentiality protections for registry applicants similar to those that applied in the 1986 amnesty program, and remove use of false documents as a basis for disqualifying applicants. The bill contains several other beneficial provisions. It would remove the retroactive application of the changes made by the 1996 immigration laws to the grounds of inadmissibility and deportability, the definition of aggravated felony, and the rules regarding cancellation of removal. In other words, an immigrant could not be deported, denied admission, or denied adjustment of status based on an offense if the offense did not fall within the grounds of inadmissibility and deportability at the time the offense was committed. The bill would amend the definition of aggravated felony to remove many minor crimes and to cover only those instances of alien smuggling that involve commercial gain. It would change the definition of "conviction" to specifically exclude convictions that have been expunged and to exclude any suspended sentences from terms of imprisonment. The bill would also abolish the 3- and 10-year bars. Finally, the bill would expand the V visa program created in the new LIFE act to cover any spouses and children of lawful permanent residents for whom the LPRs have petitioned (regardless of the date of the petition and regardless of how long they have been waiting for a visa) and to all self-petitioning immigrants under VAWA. -- Aliza Becker Phone: (773) 267-0746 Fax (773) 478-5091 E-mail alzbec@interaccess.com
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