I wholeheartedly concur with the NY Times Editorial of May 20, 2007, denouncing the poison pills of the recent bipartisan negotiating teams’ immigration deal. The more I read about it, the more I realize that this is just a temporary solution to the illegal immigrant population in the US and that it will only create more illegal aliens. The point-based (merit) system will not stem the demand for relatively unskilled workers and positions, which will compose almost 80% of all new jobs created in the US in the near future. The failure to remove the ten-year to admission to the US will essentially nullify the legal permanent residency component of the Z visa provision, since most of the Z visa holders will not be able to reenter the US for 10 years after departing to obtain their legal permanent residency. It is a joke to think that the US government can investigate or enforce the employment verification requirements that will pertain to all US employers or to even build a well-functioning system in the near future.
Ultimately, the agreement as it now stands is harsh, unjust, mean-spirited and senseless. Unless adequate amendments are made to remove these provisions, then this exercise in immigration reform is unproductive.