Democrats in the House of Representatives have proposed granting legal resident status and the option of eventual citizenship to the millions of illegal immigrants currently working in the US.  As opposed to President Bush's proposal, the Democrat proposal calls for a system of "earned legalization."

Democrat leaders have criticized the Bush plan for not creating a way for illegal aliens to become US residents or citizens.  The President's plan also does not reduce the backlog of petitions filed by US citizens on behalf of their relatives who are illegally in the US, nor does it help the thousands of illegal teenagers who attend US colleges to be granted legal status.  President Bush's plan is also criticized for inviting more immigrants to illegally enter the US.

While Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) did praise the Bush plan for opening the door to immigration reform, he said it is unlikely, unfair and unworkable to deport immigrants who have worked in the US for many years, as the Bush proposal demands.

The solution proposed in the House is a temporary-worker program that would give illegal workers already in the US the chance to earn legal status.  Those illegal immigrants who have worked in the US for a certain period of time (which has yet to be determined) will be eligible to obtain permanent legal residency and may be able to eventually obtain US citizenship.

The Democrats also proposed allowing foreign-born minors who are illegally in the US to stay here for college and earn their legal status.  House Democrats stated that they already support a bill, which was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, that would allow states to grant in-state college tuition to illegal immigrant students.  The bill would also allow federal officials to stop the deportation of such students and allows the students to eventually become legal permanent residents.

Democrats also proposed an enhanced family-reunification program that would allow the illegal immigrant relatives of US citizens to stay in the country and apply for legal status, instead of being forced to return to their home countries before seeking legal entry.  This measure has been proposed by President Bush in the past, but was not approved by the House.