On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill that would give the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in America a pathway to citizenship, in addition to beefing up security along the Mexican border.
The 1200-page bill, which is the first overhaul of immigration reform law in the country since 1986, passed in a 68 to 32 vote, reports CNN.
Undocumented immigrants and advocates in the crowd applauded and chanted of "Yes We Can!" after the results were read by Vice President Joe Biden, notes the Huffington Post.
Although sponsors didn't get to the 70 votes they hoped for, they received full support from Democrats and the addition of 14 Republican votes.
The bill addresses undocumented immigrants, legal immigration, border security, employer hiring and an entry-exit system so the government knows if foreign nationals leave the country when their visa expires. The path to citizenship is long and likely amount to 13 years or more. However "Dreamers," or young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, would be able to earn green cards in five years, as would some agricultural workers.
The bill adds huge increases in border security and an amendment that would prevent green card status for undocumented immigrants until the government deploys 20,000 additional border agents. It also mandates E-Verify to prevent businesses from hiring unauthorized workers, completes a 700-mile border fence and adds to entry-exit systems to track whether foreign nationals overstay their visas.
Opponents of the bill argue that is is "amnesty" because undocumented immigrants would receive provisional legal status to stay in the U.S. before border and enforcement measures are met. They also allege that the bill does not ensure those measures will actually be met.
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