The below is parked here for when we get time to expose the fairy-tales spun by amnesty-supporter and GALEO Chair Caharles Kuck. And ignored by both the Rome newspaper and the AJC PolitiFact.<\/p>\n
Expert at forum: Immigration reform would impact entire nation<\/strong><\/p>\n by Lauren Jones, staff writer Rn T.Com <\/p>\n Charles Kuck (left), managing partner of Immigration Experts LLC, explains topics on Immigration Reform while Gianncarlo Cifuentes, news director at WUVG Univision Atlanta, helps moderate an Immigration Reform forum at Heritage Hall on Saturday. (Lauren Jones \/ Rome News-Tribune)slideshow An immigration reform bill moving through Congress is a \u201cmassive rewrite on immigration laws\u201d and will affect far more than the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., an expert said.<\/p>\n An Immigration Forum \u2014 hosted by the Georgia Highlands College Political Science Club and the Floyd County Democratic Party \u2014 was held at the Center Stage at Heritage Hall on East Third Avenue.<\/p>\n Immigration expert Charles Kuck, of Kuck Immigration Partners LLC, outlined five key pillars of the bill that passed in the U.S. Senate last month in a 68-31 vote. Gianncarlo Cifuentes, news director of WUVG Univision Atlanta, moderated the free, bilingual event Saturday.<\/p>\n Kuck focused on the following:<\/p>\n \u2022Securing the border Kuck said there was a high corruption rate among the agents. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen you hire a lot of people fast for jobs that are very difficult in places that nobody wants to live, you\u2019re not getting the best employees, and yet they want to double that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2022Make E-Verify mandatory The database includes information about Social Security, proof of citizenship, names and photographs. The problem, Kuck said, is that nearly 15 million people in America change jobs annually.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you want to get a second job, you\u2019ll get what\u2019s called a \u2018tentative confirmation\u2019 that says somebody\u2019s used this ID to work somewhere else,\u201d he said. \u201cSo you have to have government permission to get a second job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022Addressing issues in the legal system A complicated issue, he said, was that there are about 10 different \u201clines\u201d with various waiting times. Sometime it takes people a decade or longer to procure a work visa or a green card. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat this bill does is increases the number of visas, green cards available in virtually every category for employment,\u201d he said, adding that currently, the federal government only issues about 140,000 green cards a year.<\/p>\n \u2022Employment problems Under the \u201cW-Visa\u201d program, which would start in April 2015, those with lesser skills would be able to apply for positions in the country. The program, based upon a system of registered employers, would allow them to hire a certain number of W-Visa category individuals each year.<\/p>\n \u2022Legalization program A final House vote on the reform, Kuck said, could be expected some time in November, and if an agreement isn\u2019t reached by then, they have until January 2015.<\/p>\n Kuck answered some questions after his speech, and a commonly asked question, he said, was whether a 21-year-old person could sponsor his or her parents. Kuck said that depends on whether or not the parents came to the U.S. with or without a visa.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you came in with a visa and just over-stayed \u2026 then, yes, your son can file for you. If you came illegally, he can\u2019t, and you\u2019re barred from having a green card.\u201d<\/p>\n Another question was \u201cWhat if I was deported and I came back? If this new law passes, will it help me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does,\u201d Kuck answered. \u201cPart of the law says if you were deported, but not because of criminal activity, simply because you didn\u2019t have papers, and if it happens before a certain date, you will benefit from the legalization program.\u201d <\/p>\n Another issue was that the Georgia Board of Regents does not currently give in-state tuition benefits to recipients under the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals Act, although the law clearly states they should, Kuck said.<\/p>\n Ricardo Rivera, a 17-year-old who has college aspirations, said following the forum that issue particularly bothered him.<\/p>\n \u201cOut-of-state tuition is crazy,\u201d Rivera said.<\/p>\n
\nKuck said that the country would spend about $4 billion more a year to \u201csecure the border,\u201d including adding 19,000 more border patrol agents. Currently, the U.S. employs about 19,000, and that number is nearly double what it was 15 years ago. To qualify as a border patrol agent, one must have a high school diploma, be able to speak Spanish and be willing to live in the middle of nowhere. <\/p>\n
\nAnother aspect is that the bill would make E-Verify mandatory for every employer to use in the U.S. within a five-year period. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhy do people come (to the U.S.) without papers?\u201d Kuck asked, citing reasons like better life opportunities and fleeing persecution. \u201cThe real reason people come without papers is because it\u2019s impossible for them to come with papers. What we need is a system in place that allows people to come in legally \u2014 we can substantially reduce illegal immigration. Why don\u2019t these people get in line?\u2026 Most of them already are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThere are some jobs, such as lower paying agricultural jobs, that many Americans just won\u2019t do, Kuck said, but under the immigration reform, a W-Visa would be created that would allow lower-skilled foreigners to work legally in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\nUnder the new legalization program, Kuck said if someone came into the country before Jan. 1, 2012, and did not have a felony conviction or three misdemeanors, and have paid taxes throughout their time in the U.S. and pays a $500 fine, they\u2019ll receive temporary status and a work permit. Ten years later, they could apply for a green card and then three years after that, for full citizenship.<\/p>\n