Outline of new immigration reform law: 6 things to know

Outline of new immigration reform law: 6 things to know Team members: Eight senators have been drafting the plan for months. The Democratic Party includes Durbin (there are a large number of Hispanics...

The Democratic Party includes Durbin (Representative of Illinois, which has a large Hispanic population), Menendez (Representative of New Jersey, a Cuban-American representative), Schumer (Representative of New York State), Bennett (Representative of Colorado)

The Republican Party includes former presidential candidates McCann, Fleck (Representative of Arizona), 2016 presidential candidates Rubio (Florida), and Graham (South Carolina).

The Senate plan would require illegal immigrants to register with the federal government, pass background checks, and pay fines and back taxes in order to obtain temporary legal status. Once these obstacles are passed, illegal immigrants will be able to obtain legal residency status for the first time.

Illegal immigrants who have obtained legal status must wait in line behind foreigners who apply for green cards in accordance with the law. They must also learn English, continue to pay taxes, and report their U.S. work history to apply for legal permanent residence.

Immigrants who successfully pass these checkpoints will be able to obtain a green card, allowing them to reside and work permanently in the United States, and then apply for naturalization according to law just like other immigrants with green cards.

Strengthen security of U.S. borders, especially the southwestern border with Mexico. Measures include increasing drones, surveillance equipment, and border enforcement personnel.

Set up an immigration system to track everyone entering the United States from airports and ports on temporary visas to determine whether they have all left the country in accordance with the law.

Establish a committee composed of governors, other officials and civilians from the southwestern border states to oversee progress in ensuring border security and make relevant recommendations.

Young illegal immigrants: Obama last summer ordered a moratorium on deportations for young people who came to the United States with their parents as children and meet certain requirements.

According to the Senate's plan, these young illegal immigrants do not have to follow the naturalization path described above, but the outline announced by the Senate does not specify what kind of treatment they will receive.

Farm workers will also receive different treatment under the new agricultural and industrial plan.

Hold employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants accountable and make it harder for illegal immigrants to forge identity documents to get jobs.

At the same time, the federal government will provide a faster and more effective way for employers to verify whether newly hired workers are legally residing in the United States.