( L - R ) CLARE and PERRY

NEW YORK (CMC):

Caribbean legislators in the United States have denounced an agreement reached Thursday by United States Senate negotiators from both the Republican and Democratic parties on a comprehensive immigration bill that would grant legal status to Caribbean and other immigrants.

If it becomes law, the bill would legalise the status of most of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States, resulting in the biggest change in immigration law and policy in over two decades.

But Caribbean legislators here have described it, in interviews with the Caribbean Media Corporation, as "unreasonable, unconscionable, unbelievable, outrageous, and draconian".

"On the surface, it doesn't sound like a realistic, practical proposal," said Nick Perry, a Jamaican-born, New York State Assemblyman, who represents the 58th Assembly District in Brooklyn.

"They're saying one thing, but they're putting up another barrier that'll be insurmountable," he added, referring to U.S. senators.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Dr. Kendall Stewart, the Vincentian-born chair of New York City Council's Committee on Immigration, said the bill is "a start, but it's not good."

"There are too many unanswered questions," said Stewart, who represents the 45th Councilmanic District in Brooklyn, disclosing that he will shortly be conducting a hearing on the matter.

"There are a number of issues troubling me," he added.

"Provisions to go back home are a 'no, no.' There's no assurance that they (immigrants) will get to come back here.

"They've widened the felony act to make it a felony to be undocumented," he continued. "Those things are overreaching."

The bill includes a temporary-worker programme, under which 400,000-600,000 foreign workers could be admitted to the country each year.

Besides creating a path toward legalisation for illegal immigrants, it would strengthen the U.S. border through the addition of more fencing and other security measures, and increase the number of Border Patrol agents.

Irwin Clare, the Jamaican-born director of the Queens-based, non-profit Caribbean Immigrant Services, said "the only good thing in the bill is the path to legalisation."

"The family exemption would be eliminated under this bill," he said. "They don't want children to reunite with their parents.

"This bill is more radical than the one passed in the Senate last year," added Claire, who last week lobbied Congress to be more sympathetic to Caribbean immigrants.