Schumer-Rubio Bill Amnesties Illegal Aliens and Their Employers

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The "Gang of Eight" claims that its immigration bill does not provide amnesty for illegal immigrants. But an analysis of the legalization portion of the 844-page Senate proposal uncovers at least 11 amnesties for illegal aliens and their employers.

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The report, by Ronald Mortensen, a Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, shows that the token penalties, when they do exist, are not commensurate with the employment-related felonies committed by the majority of illegal aliens, nor are they commensurate with the benefits received by illegal aliens. Just as unfortunate is the fact that millions of victims of these crimes are ignored while the amnestied illegals are rewarded and even benefit from the so-called penalties, as the monies actually go into a fund that provides services to the very people who paid the "penalties".

"Illegal aliens will be rewarded for breaking laws for which American citizens are routinely punished," said Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. "For example, an American citizen would face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for using a fraudulent Social Security card, but under this bill the illegal alien would face a $1,000 penalty covering all his many offenses, a penalty which in many cases will be waived. Then, they would be issued a new Social Security number without any past bad credit or arrest records."

View the full report at: http://www.cis.org/immigration-reform-amnesty-illegal-aliens-and-their-employers.

Dr. Mortensen discovered the following amnesties for illegal aliens and their employers:

Amnesties for Illegal Aliens

• Amnesty for the estimated 75 percent of illegal aliens committing Social Security fraud.
• Amnesty from returning to home countries for 10 years before adjusting status.
• Amnesty for illegal aliens committing Identity theft.
• Amnesty for illegal aliens by officially authorizing them to continue committing identity theft by using fraudulently obtained Social Security numbers belonging to American citizens.
• Amnesty for illegal aliens who have committed perjury on I-9 forms.
• De-Facto amnesty from the token $1,000 penalty, since it effectively pre-pays services provided to illegal aliens.
• Amnesty from existing exclusion, deportation, and removal orders.

While illegal aliens would be granted amnesty for crimes they have committed, government employees who discover Social Security fraud, identity theft, or perjury on I-9 forms while reviewing applications for provisional status would be prohibited from notifying victims, law enforcement, etc. with a threat of a $10,000 penalty. This is 10 times more than the $1,000 penalty paid by an illegal alien who has committed felony identity theft.

Amnesties for the Employers of Illegal Aliens

• Amnesty for employers found to have employed illegal aliens or who are currently employing illegal aliens. Moreover, employers may continue to employ illegal aliens, accept fraudulent Social Security numbers, and renew falsified I-9 forms for those who apply for provisional status.
• Amnesty for employers who did not withhold and/or submit payroll taxes for individuals illegally in the United States.
• Amnesty for employers who violated labor laws by paying unfair wages, who failed to pay wages, etc.
• Amnesty for employers who facilitated Social Security fraud and identity theft by providing or accepting false Social Security numbers.

While employers would be held harmless, government employees who find that employers violated the law while reviewing applications for temporary status would be prohibited from notifying the appropriate law enforcement authorities. If government employees do report tax or labor violations, they could face a fine of $10,000.

View the Senate bill, CIS Senate testimony, and commentary at: http://cis.org/Border-Security-Economic-Opportunity-Immigration-Modernization-Act

The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit research organization. Since its founding in 1985, the Center has pursued a single mission – providing immigration policymakers, the academic community, news media, and concerned citizens with reliable information about the social, economic, environmental, security, and fiscal consequences of legal and illegal immigration into the United States.

Contact: Marguerite Telford
[email protected], 202-466-8185

SOURCE Center for Immigration Studies