Joe Biden’s high-profile immigration bill will give illegals path to citizenship and replace word ‘aliens’ with ‘non-citizens’ as Nancy Pelosi calls it ‘basic principles’
- House Speaker said she was ‘pleased’ with the Administration’s immigration proposal
- Said it met ‘basic principles’ but also identified Democratic lawmaker who will oversee effort
- Four-page administration fact sheet outlines eight-year path to citizenship
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to major immigration legislation that the White House is proposing as ‘basic principles’ to work from.
She talked up the proposal after the administration released a four-page fact sheet on its plan, which would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship after an eight-year period.
Major immigration changes are one area where the White House must secure cooperation from Congress to achieve results, even as Biden sets a new tone with a flurry of executive orders in a range of areas.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was ‘pleased’ with the Administration’s immigration proposal
‘We were also pleased to see the president come forward, the administration come forward with an immigration proposal,’ Pelosi told reporters Thursday.
‘We’re pleased,’ she continued, before referencing the legislative leaders who will have a key role. ‘And in the House Linda Sanchez will take a lead. Senator [Robert] Menendez in the Senate. It has the basic principles that we’ve talked about all along and we’ll see what the timetable is on that,’ she said.
Pelosi’s comments suggest a leadership-driven approach. Sanchez is a member of the Steering and Policy Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, but not the Judiciary Committee which has primary jurisdiction over immigration.
The principles outlined in the fact sheet would allow people who came here illegally to be on a ‘roadmap’ to citizenship. They could apply for green cards after five yeras if they pass criminal and security check. After another three years, after additional checks and English and civics assessments, they could apply to become citizens.
The proposal provides a path to citizenship for people here illegally by January 1, 2021
The administration also
DACA recipients who gained status under President Obama would go on faster path to citizenship
‘Applicants must be physically present in the United States on or before January 1, 2021,’ according to the plan, which comes as another migrant caravan has been making its way toward the U.S.
The fact sheet says the bill ‘prohibits discrimination based on religion and limits presidential authority to issue future bans’ and increases diversity visas to 80,000 from 55,000.
After four years of focus on President Trump’s border wall, amid a pause ordered by President Biden, the bill ‘provides funding for training and continuing education to promote agent and officer safety and professionalism.’