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2. Once again, immigration had become one of the most contentious issues on the political agenda. 3. President Obama said that immigration reform, including a plan to make legal status possible, would be a priority in his first year in office. 4. In December 2005, the House passed a bill, championed by conservative Republicans, which focused on law enforcement and border security, making it a federal felony to live illegally in the United States and mandating hundreds of miles of fence along the Mexican border. 5. But the deep recession, with millions of Americans losing jobs, dimmed the political prospects for efforts to increase immigration, and groups opposing legalization remained confident they could block any such proposal. 6. In fact, many marchers were carrying American flags, some of which were emblazoned with pictures of family members serving in the United States military. (For young immigrants, the surest way to secure American citizenship is often to join the armed forces.)  7. A few days after the L.A. protest, which followed similar events in Chicago, Miami, and other cities, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a proposal that was much friendlier to illegal aliens than the House version.  8. The new measure would give illegal workers the opportunity to apply for work visas, green cards, and, eventually, American citizenship. It also would create an expanded guest-worker program, allowing four hundred thousand more people a year to enter the United States legally. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">9. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">“[We] have to recognize that we've got 12 million undocumented workers who are already here. Many of them living their lives alongside other Americans. Their kids are going to school. Many of the kids, in fact, were born in this country and are citizens. (Obama) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">10. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">And so, it's absolutely vital that we bring those families out of the shadows and that we give them the opportunity to travel a pathway to citizenship. It's not automatic citizenship. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">11. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">They would have to pay a fine. They would have to not have engaged in any criminal activity. They would have to learn English. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">12. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Our proposal is basically you can get a tamper-proof visa after your job has been proven that it cannot be filled by an American citizen. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">13. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Obama said any effort at reform must include "strong border security" as well as "a pathway to citizenship" for illegal immigrants who are already in the United States. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">14. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Democratic and Republican leaders all say illegal immigrants shouldn't receive government-funded insurance in any new health legislation, just as they are banned from receiving Medicare or nonemergency Medicaid [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">15. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">According to some figures, the number of undocumented immigrants in America is set to increase by half a million people every year, having tripled since 1990. [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">16. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Without them, they maintain, the economy would stall <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">17. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">They are living in fear of deportation," he says, "they can't find legal employment, and the range of work they end up doing is very limited. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">18. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Moreover, he believes illegal workers are an asset to society and to the economy at large. "They revitalize declining areas," he says. "They bring in investment through customer spending which also generates sales taxes." 15-18 quotes by Hani shawwa <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">
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 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">1. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">From the time of the nation's founding, immigration has been crucial to the United States' growth and also a periodic source of conflict. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">