Gephardt Is Preparing a Measure to Legalize Illegal Immigrants

The United States is home to millions of illegal immigrants, many of them from Mexico, who have become a major chunk of the American labor force. Before September 11, President Bush talked with Mexican President Vicente Fox about the possibility of granting amnesty to some of those immigrants, but heightened concerns about national security have left that plan hanging. Democrats in the House of Representatives are renewing the idea, proposing that illegal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years and worked for at least two be allowed to apply for permanent residency. The move has strong political undertones as it appears to be part of Democrats’ efforts to gain the Hispanic vote in upcoming elections. – YaleGlobal