Immigration Reform 2013 News: Senate Bill Due Next Week, But Details of Path to Citizenship Remain Contentious

While the Senate's "Gang of Eight" has come to a preliminary agreement on the creation of a bipartisan immigration reform bill, the details are far from determined.

Next week, the group plans to unveil its proposal, but after that, it must be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and voted on by the entire Senate, a procedure that offers plenty of opportunities for amendment.

And one the most contentious issues may be the path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.

There will be a path proscribed in the bill - that much is certain. But the form that path takes, and the ease of the requirements still remains to be seen.

Republicans have expressed fears that a legalization process that is too easy will only encourage more undocumented immigrations and serve to reward people who broke the law. Democrats worry that a process that is too onerous or expensive will leave immigrants either unwilling or unable to apply for citizenship, thus defeating the purpose of the bill.

For now, the compromise proposal seems to be amenable to both sides, though it is bound to be pulled in both directions.

Undocumented immigrants will be required to pay back taxes for all years they have been in the country. In addition, they will need to pay a fine, probably around $5,000, though that amount could grow or decrease during debate.

Immigrants will also be required to learn English, though there's been no specific determination of how thoroughly that requirement must be satisfied, whether through standardized tests or some other protocol.

Lastly, there has been much debate over how long undocumented immigrants must wait before they can become citizens. There is currently a large backlog in citizenship applications from immigrants who already have legal standing. Both sides agree that backlog must be cleared before any undocumented immigrants can complete the process of naturalization. So if plans to speed up the application process don't materialize, it could be many years before the undocumented can gain legal status, whatever the details of the current bill.

The wait looks to be about a decade, including the wait for a green card and then an additional wait for citizenship. Democrats seek to reduce those waiting periods, while Republicans, in general, seek to lengthen them, and on occasion both sides will agree to a decrease in one for an increase in the other, resulting in net stasis.

We'll know more about the initial bill next week when the Senate unveils it.