On January 21, 2004, Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Tom Daschle (D-SD) introduced S.2010, The Immigration Reform Act of 2004: Strengthening America’s National Security, Economy and Families.  The bill will reform immigration laws to strengthen national security, improve economic stability and reunite families.

Hagel stated that “congress must reform the patchwork of immigration laws that have created an underground, black market labor force...President Bush deserves credit for the leadership he has shown in putting this issue back on the agenda.  Congress must now meet that leadership by having a courageous debate on the tough issues of immigration reform.”

The bill, known as the Hegel-Daschle Bill, will strengthen national security by identifying undocumented immigrants now living in the US and track foreign workers who enter the US looking for jobs.  The bill will also provide funding for the Department of Homeland Security to improve border security, as well as criminal and background checks on visa applications.

Economic stability will be improved by the bill through the creation of an enforceable program to bring needed workers to the US to fill jobs unfilled by American workers.  The program will increase the number of visas available for those immigrants who have followed American law and are waiting to be reunited with their US citizen and legal resident family members.  This will reduce processing backlogs and remedy inequalities under current immigration law.  The bill will also penalize those who continue to break immigration laws.

Undocumented workers and their families currently living in the US will be able to become invested stakeholders in the country if they meet certain guidelines, such as passing national security and criminal background checks, have resided in the US for five years before the bill was introduced, have worked in the US for a minimum of five years, have paid all federal taxes and have paid all application fees.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.