Rogers / 4 Senator Ortiz

S. B._____

A BILL
To allow undocumented immigrants a simpler path to citizenship.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the Si Se Puede (Yes We Can) Act of 2017.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) More than 32,000 families are caught crossing the border.
2) In 2014, 1.3 million immigrants migrated to the United States illegally through US borders.
3) In April alone, authorities apprehended a total number of 38,135 illegal immigrants attempting to cross
the US border.
4) $1.2 million worth of drugs were seized along the southern border.
5) Two men were caught on video jumping the border and smuggling drugs into the United States through
the southern border.
6) The numbers of migrants crossing the Rio Grande illegally has risen since past years.
7) Through August of this year, there were a total number of 369,411 apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico
border.
8) Numbers of apprehensions along border have increased at a drastic rate since August.
9) Immigrant moms are crossing Texas border at an alarming rate in spite of seeking a better life for
themselves as well as their children.
10) Nearly 5,000 unaccompanied children have been caught crossing the US southern border in the month
of October alone.
11) In 2015, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), removed about 235,413 immigrants to 181
different foreign countries around the world.
12) The Obama administration deported a record number of 438,421 unauthorized immigrants in the fiscal
year of 2013.
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) The Si Se Puede Act of 2017 shall provide undocumented immigrants an equal opportunity to receive
full citizenship. The reason being is because it will benefit people who are against illegal immigration and
the undocumented immigrants. It will also reduce the amount of funds going towards deporting these
illegal immigrants. This bill shall prevent Donald Trump to build his multi-billion dollar wall that will not
benefit the United States or Mexico for that matter. The Si Se Puede Act of 2017 will reduce the amount
of undocumented immigrants from illegally crossing the border, because it will make the process of
becoming a citizen more obtainable for the immigrants attempting to become legal citizens of the United
States. This bill shall fund certain aspects of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration
Modernization Act of 2013 such as immigrants receiving citizenship and/or visas to come to the United
States.
B) The law is to be enforced by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and administered by the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security. Funds shall come from the same taxpayers that are paying to secure the
border. The funds toward the Si Se Puede Act of 2017 will not only benefit the immigrants, but it will
lower the crime rate of illegal border crossings.
C) The Si Se Puede Act of 2017 shall be enacted on January 1, 2020. Violators who do not abide by the
law or endanger our society in a negative manner shall be deported immediately.

Immigrants that fled their countries to America for a better life. A better life for themselves and their families.
Who are we to deny them that. Without immigrants we would not have Steve Jobs, the son of a Syrian refugee also
the creator of the most valued company in the world, Apple. Another creative figure is Elon Musk the creator of Tesla
Motors and Space X. Sergey Brin the co-founder of Google, and many others. Imagine how different our lives would
be if we turned our backs to these inspiring innovative people, simply because they were not born here in the United
States. Immigrants in seek for a better life in the United States have the same right as everyone else to become a
citizen. Therefore, my bill shall provide a simpler path to citizenship to the undocumented, it will lower the amount
of money going towards deportations and provide more money into assisting immigrants into America.
According to the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, as of December 2 nd, 2015 they cannot even
predict how long the immigration process with take. A green card could take from 6 months to several years to
complete. With all the fees you could be looking close to 1,500 dollars per person. That is not including flight,
housing, or food. Now tell me, how can a family of even 4 afford to do this. It is unrealistic, people fleeing from wartorn and lower developed countries do not have the resources or income for this grueling process. More than 32,000
families have been caught trying to sneak into the United States. These families are risking everything for a chance
towards the american dream. A total of 408,870 undocumented immigrants were apprehended along the border in
fiscal year 2016. Families will go to extreme lengths to give their family a chance to be successful, even if that means
illegally coming to the United States. Most immigrant families are financially not capable to pay for the citizenship
fees, so they are put in situations to benefit their family. For some families their luck runs out and the government
finds out that they are living in the United States illegally and the family is then deported.
Donald Trump said he would like to deport 11.3 million undocumented immigrants back to their countries,
but do you know how much deporting that many immigrants will cost? According to Forbes, it will cost the federal
government roughly $400-$600 billion to deport 11.3 immigrants. The U.S. is currently trillion dollars in debt, so
how would Donald Trump get the money to do that? Instead of deporting immigrant families who are posing no harm
to our society, why dont we fund our nations educational system? Schools around the globe are not technologically
advanced as they could be. On top of wanting to deport 11.3 million undocumented immigrants, Trump wants to
build a wall along the Mexican border that would ultimately cost about $10-$12 billion and have Mexico pay for this
wall.
It is acknowledged that the United States does admit about 50,000 people into the US every year. The process
takes about a year and hundreds of thousands of people apply for it. The application is free but if you get accepted for
an interview you have to pay $350.00 per applicant. This process can be done online at travel.state.gov. So for those
who dont have internet access family from overseas can apply for you. This process is more luck and chance. The
government could help this process by admitting more than 50,000 immigrants a year. The government could also
fund the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (BSEOIM), which will
benefit undocumented immigrants greatly. Section 2103 of the BSEOIM gives legal status to immigrants who have
proven that they have gone to school and succeeded.
In conclusion, I believe that immigrants are a large asset to the United States and they deserve equal
opportunities as everyone else. Without immigrants in the U.S. we would not have some major technological
advancements we have today. Immigrants are the backbone of the United States and who are we to deny them the
right to become a U.S. citizen. To sum it all up, I believe that undocumented immigrants deserve a simpler path to
citizenship, giving citizenship to immigrants will lower deportation costs and to provide more financial assistance
towards helping immigrants become citizens. Now that you have the knowledge and understanding of what the Si
Se Puede Act of 2017 will do, vote yes to pass my bill.