Immigration Reform Bill Could Hurt Immigrant Families.

It seems that the immigration reform bill may be back on the table. Once of the significant differences between the proposed immigration reform bill and the current framework of our immigration system is that the current system gives preference to close relatives of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents. The new system, in comparison, would shift the preference to a "merit" based system that would give preference to certain groups of people who hold or acquire whatever traits our law makers determine are meritorious.

If enacted, the likely affect of this bill would be to favor immigrants ifrom higher socio-economic groups. This is because the proposed "merit" based system looks at such things as education, language skills, employment history, and job skills. The fact is that many of the people who currently enter this country illegally are not educated and come here to find basic work so that they can afford to educate their children and make a better life for them. Under the current bill, the outcome (and likely intended result) will be that only the well-educated middle and upper class immigrant will qualify to immigrate to the U.S.

Furthermore, if we are going to eliminate an immigration system which gives preference to close relatives of U.S. citizens, what is the reason for this shift in policy? I don't see what could be more compelling or important that a policy of trying to unite our citizens with their foreign national family members.

It seems that the first step in designing an appropriate immigration reform bill would be to agree up the underlying policy goals of the U.S. with respect to immigration law. Is the underlying policy to ensure ability of our citizens to be with their family even if the family is foreign? Is the policy to ensure that the U.S. remains a land of opportunity and a country where anyone can come and "pull themselves up by the bootstraps." Or is the policy to ensure that we have access to cheap labor when we need it but makes sure only the most desirable foreign nationals are offered the opportunity to immigrate?