Earlier this week a bipartisan group of Senators and President Obama each unveiled immigration reform plans.
Each plan contains a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented workers living in the U.S.
The Senate plan, whose supporters include Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin and Florida Republican Marco Rubio, states that reform should include tougher border security, while also providing an opportunity for citizenship to those already living in the U.S.
The plan states that undocumented workers would be "required to go to the back of the line of prospective immigrants, pass an additional background check, pay taxes, learn English and civics, demonstrate a history of work in the United States, and current employment, among other requirements, in order to earn the opportunity to apply for lawful permanent residency."
President Obama's plan has similar requirements for citizenship.
"Yes, they broke the rules. They crossed the border illegally. Maybe they overstayed their visas. Those are facts. Nobody disputes them. But these 11 million men and women are now here," President Obama said. "Many of them have been here for years. And the overwhelming majority of these individuals aren’t looking for any trouble. They’re contributing members of the community. They're looking out for their families. They're looking out for their neighbors. They're woven into the fabric of our lives."
Each plan contains a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented workers living in the U.S.
The Senate plan, whose supporters include Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin and Florida Republican Marco Rubio, states that reform should include tougher border security, while also providing an opportunity for citizenship to those already living in the U.S.
The plan states that undocumented workers would be "required to go to the back of the line of prospective immigrants, pass an additional background check, pay taxes, learn English and civics, demonstrate a history of work in the United States, and current employment, among other requirements, in order to earn the opportunity to apply for lawful permanent residency."
President Obama's plan has similar requirements for citizenship.
"Yes, they broke the rules. They crossed the border illegally. Maybe they overstayed their visas. Those are facts. Nobody disputes them. But these 11 million men and women are now here," President Obama said. "Many of them have been here for years. And the overwhelming majority of these individuals aren’t looking for any trouble. They’re contributing members of the community. They're looking out for their families. They're looking out for their neighbors. They're woven into the fabric of our lives."