This immigration bill is a mish-mash: a mess created by trying to appease the wing-nuts in the country, not to mention the business community. I admit that as a son of two immigrants, it gets me particularly hot that we’ve got a bunch of people in the country who want to make the lives of people who try to come here completely miserable.

There is a summary in today’s New York Times that highlights the key points of the bill. The one on the process of legalization particularly caught my eye…read on…

LEGALIZING IMMIGRANTS The bill proposes a new kind of visa, a Z visa, for immigrants who were in the United States before Jan. 1, 2007, without legal papers.

In a first stage, to begin six months after the bill became law, illegal immigrants would come forward to register with the Department of Homeland Security. Registration would be confidential, department officials said, and would be open for a one-year period. Once registered, immigrants would be on probation — they could work legally but would not be able to travel freely outside the United States.

In a second stage, after the triggers were in place, former illegal immigrants could complete their applications for Z visas, paying penalties. A family of four immigrants, for example, would have to pay fines and fees of at least $4,500. Administration officials said these could be paid in installments.

Illegal immigrants’ immediate family members who are already in the United States would qualify for Z visas, but they could not bring any family members from home. They can travel outside the United States and, after paying a $1,500 fee, renew the Z visa once every four years.

After eight years, once the backlog of legal immigrant petitions is cleared, Z visa holders could apply to become legal permanent residents. They would have to show that they spoke English and pay an additional $4,000 fine. They would also have to return to their home countries to file the application for permanent status, but would not have to remain there while it was in process. It would take at least 13 years for a former illegal immigrant to become a United States citizen.

13 YEARS TO BECOME A CITIZEN!!! Have we gone stark raving mad in this country? Why put anyone through that kind of hell? All these idiotic triggers–not to mention actually making people shell out fees that seem quite exorbitant to me.