It looks like congress has switched gears from Comprehensive to Piecemeal Immigration Reform.  With the failure to come to terms on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in June, it looks like Congress has thrown in the towel on trying to secure the borders, creating a guest worker program and legalizing the immigration status of 10-12 million undocumented workers this year.  Perhaps, Congress will revisit these issues again - but that?s another story?.

There are a few immigration-related bills which may be enacted into law in 2007. Among them is the AgJobs bill, the DREAM Act, recapturing unused visas for shortage occupations like registered nurses and physical therapists, and a remote chance that the quota for skilled workers will be increased. A few things to know?..

AgJobs Bill - How can a bill that enjoys strong senate support and is endorsed by farmers, unions and Latino organizations (70% of farm workers are Latino.) not be enacted into law? The AgJobs bill would be the most significant improvement in two decades. It is about time that a law was passed to end exploitation of those who perform stoop labor to put food on our tables.

Highly-Skilled Workers - Congressional leaders have begun to discuss measures which would allow unused employment-based immigrant visas to be "reclaimed". Almost 500,000 professionals and skilled workers have been waiting in line for up to six years for green cards. The measures being discussed would raise the cap on EB green cards from 140,000 to 240,000 or 280,000 annually.

On July 26th, the Senate voted 89-1 to add an immigration enforcement amendment to a homeland security bill. The amendment would allocate an additional $3 billion to double the size of the Border Patrol, build additional fencing on the U.S.- Mexican border, increase detention beds to 45,000, increase the reliability of the employment verification system and mandate the deportation of people who have overstayed their visas.  The House version of the homeland security bill does not include this amendment. Therefore, whether this amendment makes it into the final bill will be decided by a Senate-House Conference Committee.   

IMHO, you would think it would be easier to pass a bill "cracking down" on illegal aliens than it is to solve complicated immigration issues. Separating the two issues may be the smartest thing to do.