Employers applying to bring in such immigrants must demonstrate that they have tried and failed to find American workers with similar advanced skills. The other piece of legislation, championed by Democrats and Hispanic groups, would give amnesty to several immigrant groups that were left out of the last general amnesty in 1986. The measure would give Guatemalans, Haitians, Salvadorans and Hondurans who fled civil strife in their homelands the same protections granted to Nicaraguans and Cubans under a 1997 law. Both measures are caught up in election-year politics. Democrats don't want to agree to the high-tech visas without a commitment to amnesty.
Republicans risk alienating the Hispanic vote if the amnesty plan is brought to a vote and defeated.
We hold no hope we're going to get any type of reform of immigration policy this year. Gay, who works for the American Hotel and Motel Association, is representing a broad-based group that includes labor, church, business and civil rights leaders. Mark of the National Immigration Forum is more optimistic about movement on Capitol Hill. That's ultimately what's going to happen. A change in direction Immigrant advocacy groups think the changing tone in Washington gave INS commissioner Doris Meissner the political cover she needed to institute sweeping changes that were long talked about.