May 30, 2007 | Anna Varela | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cristian Adonai Zuniga scanned the Spanish-language newspaper racks at Plaza Fiesta this week, with headlines trumpeting "Reforma Migratoria" --- Immigration Reform.
The 24-year-old illegal immigrant, who had just finished shopping at the Hispanic-themed mall on Buford Highway, said he didn't know much about the details of the proposal to overhaul U.S. immigration law. But so far, he said, "it's good, a good idea."
President Bush was in Georgia to promote the bill with a visit to a coastal facility near Brunswick that trains Border Patrol agents.
The White House said Bush intends to highlight the border security provisions of the bill with his visit to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco.
Georgia's U.S. senators, Republicans Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, have come under attack from conservatives at home for their role in negotiating the bill, which seeks to forge a compromise between those who want to expel illegal immigrants from the country and those who believe foreign workers are an economic necessity.
For Zuniga, a native of Honduras, those political struggles aren't important.
The carpenter was interested in the proposed Z visa, which would allow illegal immigrants who entered the United States before Jan. 1 to apply for the right to live and work here.
For a single person like him, who came here four years ago, the fines and processing fees have been estimated at around $3,000 for the visa, which would be good for four years and renewable indefinitely.
Pretty reasonable, Zuniga said, when compared to the $1,200 in "coyote" fees that he said he paid a smuggler to help him get into the country.
"It's worth the trouble," said Zuniga.
Most immigrants don't know the ins and outs of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, roughly 400 pages of complicated legislation being debated in the U.S. Senate. Details are starting to trickle down through ethnic media and immigration lawyers.
Different immigrant groups are focused on different parts of the bill that could help or hurt them.
Prasad Venkata, a computer systems analyst who is a legal immigrant, worries that the bill won't do much to help him.
A native of India, he came to the United States in 1998 on a visa for highly skilled workers. The Kennesaw resident has been waiting for seven years to get a green card so he can become a permanent resident and eventually apply for citizenship.
While he waits, he's had to pass up a promotion because a change in job category could foul up his current visa.
Venkata, 32, worries that a flood of applications for the new Z visas and green cards could increase the wait for people like him.
"It has been a long time."
Flor Gonzalez, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who works as a clerk at a small shop on Buford Highway, is hopeful that she could get legal status under the reform effort.
The 30-year-old came to the United States two years ago and now has a 6-month-old daughter who was born here, making the child a U.S. citizen.
"We'll see what they decide," Gonzalez said.
Like Zuniga, she thought the requirements to get a Z visa seemed reasonable. She was skeptical about the proposed rules for illegal immigrants to earn a green card, which grants permanent residency.
To get a green card, the head of household would have to return to his or her home country and put in an application, then wait for approval to re-enter the United States.
"Who is going to want to go?" she said.
Application and fines for the new Z visa have been estimated as high as $9,000 for a family of four.
People who have been convicted of a felony, three or more misdemeanors or reckless driving or DUI resulting in an injury would not qualify, according to an analysis by the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
At renewal time, most people would have to show they have learned English or are making an effort.
The reform proposal has alarmed some immigrant groups because it would put new restrictions on the ability of legal immigrants, even those who have become citizens, to bring family members to the United States.
In its current form, the bill would only allow petitions for spouses and minor children. Applications for other family members that were filed after 2005 would not be grandfathered.
Some Asian-American leaders have started lobbying senators to change those provisions, which are designed to reduce so-called chain migration in favor of people with specific job skills.
Sister Christine Truong My Hanh, executive director of Good Shepherd Services in Chamblee, said the change would harm the Vietnamese and Chinese families she works with.
Most are legal immigrants and many are citizens, she said, so they haven't paid much attention to the current debate.
Some are starting to hear that they could lose the ability to bring elderly parents and adult siblings to join them in the United States.
"I think this is very bad news," she said. "It's very hard on Asians. We feel like this country is so far away from Asia ... we want to have our family members [here]."
The Senate is not expected to resume debate on the measure until next week.
Staff writer Ken Herman contributed to this article.
