Originally Posted by: LA Times websiteWhat has the Republican-controlled House done?

In December, the House, run by conservative Republicans, passed a bill that would make being in the United States a felony — with harsher penalties than a civil violation. The bill requires employers to verify that their workers are legally in the United States or face civil and criminal penalties. In addition, it establishes mandatory sentences for smuggling illegal immigrants.

The proposal does not include a guest worker program for those in the United States.

It does call for tighter borders and requires the construction of two-layer fences along 700 miles of the 2,000-mile border between Mexico and the United States.

What is happening in the Senate?

The Judiciary Committee has approved a bill and has sent it to the floor of the Senate, which will begin to debate the merits.

This bill does have guest worker provisions. Incoming foreign workers would have to get temporary work visas and could earn permanent legal residence after six years.

It also tries to deal with illegal immigrants who were in the United States before 2004 by allowing them to continue to work for six years if they pay a $1,000 fine and get a background check that shows they engaged in no criminal activities. They would become eligible for permanent residence upon paying another $1,000 fine, any back taxes and having learned English.

Once they are permanent residents, they could use existing laws to become citizens.

Is this an amnesty?

The opponents say yes because it eventually could mean that those who entered the United States illegally could become citizens without having to go back to their country of origin. Proponents deny that it is an amnesty because the foreign workers would have to earn their citizenship.

Does the Senate bill deal with borders?

Yes. It would add up to 14,000 Border Patrol agents by 2011 to the force of 11,300 agents. It rejects the House plan for fences, but calls for more screening by unmanned vehicles, cameras and sensors on the U.S.-Canada border.