The Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship held a hearing on “Evaluating a Temporary Guest Worker Proposal” on February 5, 2004.  Since last July, there have been several immigration reform bills introduced, but none has been given a hearing.

The February 5 hearing focused on creating a new guest worker program and develop a legal flow of immigrant workers from Mexico and Central America.  The goal of the hearing was to develop a program with specific details, as opposed to the broad principals laid out by President Bush’s plan.

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Representative Dana Rohrabacher introduced legislation to Congress on January 21 that would limit health care to illegal immigrants.  The bill proposes to hold employers who employ illegal immigrants responsible for their healthcare bills.  The bill would also require hospitals that receive federal funding for treating illegal immigrants to ask their patients whether they are US citizens and enter information about non-citizens into a database.  The database could then be accessed and used by the Department of Homeland Security. 

Since introduction of the bill, the Representative and his staff have received several death threats and abusive phone calls after a New York radio station discussed the proposed bill. 

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S.2044: A bill for the relief of Alemseghed Mussie Tesfamical.
Sponsor: Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] (introduced 2/2/2004)
Latest Major Action: 2/2/2004 Referred to Senate committee.

Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

For a review of all the immigration bills that have been recently introduced, visit our legislative chart at www.visalaw.com/advocacy.html.