[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 5, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 4262, THE SOLVE ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 2004

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4262, the SOLVE Act 
of 2004, that reforms our nation's immigration laws. This legislation 
was introduced yesterday by Congressman Gutierrez and I am proud to be 
one of its many original cosponsors.
  This bill reunites families by reducing the years or decades of 
family separation caused by backlogs and harsh restrictions.
  Under this bill, immigrants waiting more than 5 years will be given a 
visa outside the per-country limits. In addition, immediate relatives 
would no longer count against the 480,000 limit on family-based visas. 
If we truly value the family unit, we cannot keep in place policies 
that tear it apart.
  We must reward work by granting immigrants who work hard and pay 
taxes the opportunity to earn a green card.
  This bill will allow immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for 5 
years and worked for 2 years to be eligible for legalization, including 
spouse and children.
  Also, immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for less than 5 years 
would be eligible for a 3-year visa. The visa will allow immigrants to 
live, work, and travel legally in the U.S., and apply for a green card 
after two years of work history.
  Congressman Gutierrez' bill respects workers by protecting wages and 
working conditions for U.S. workers.
  This proposal creates a new visa for low-skilled workers, such as 
agricultural farm workers. These workers will be paid a prevailing wage 
so that Americans do not suffer from lower wages, and the bill makes 
sure companies hire American workers first.
  The confusing system we have today is so difficult to navigate that 
it encourages many to immigrate illegally as a first resort.
  According to the Department of Labor, our economy will need a stable 
supply of legal immigrants to maintain our economy.
  Hospitals in California are importing nurses from South East Asia and 
Latin America because of a nursing shortage. Restaurants and other 
service jobs are hiring immigrants to fill in thousands of vacancies.
  The fact is that we can reduce illegal immigration by having fair and 
reasonable immigration laws.
  Our government must work hard to prevent people and businesses from 
violating our laws. That is why we must support comprehensive 
immigration reform.
  Our current system loves immigrants one day and hates them the next. 
We need a system that is logical, orderly and sympathetic to human 
needs. This system forces the average Mexican and Filipino to wait over 
ten years before being reunited with their spouse.
  Some people will claim that this bill opens our borders. That is 
false. The SOLVE Act simply brings order to an immigration system that 
is broken.
  I urge my colleagues to support passage of this legislation.

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