A bipartisan group of eight senators unveiled its proposal to overhaul the country’s immigration system with improved border security a prerequisite to implementation of a 13-year path to citizenship for the nation’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. The 844-page bill details steps that must be taken to secure the border, outlines fines, fees and timelines for eventual legal status, and addresses a broad array of immigration issues from employment visas to the Dream Act. The bill is considered the most sweeping attempt to reform the nation’s immigration policy in 26 years.
Experts from the University of Houston Law Center are available to comment on the bill.
BROADER CONTEXT OF IMMIGRATION ISSUE
Michael A. Olivas, holder of the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law, can provide an overview of the reform bill and comment on the broader context of the immigration issue. A nationally recognized immigration scholar, Olivas is the director of the Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance.
PROCEDURAL ADVANCES AND PROVISIONS
Geoffrey Hoffman, clinical associate professor of law, can comment on the important advances in due process protections that the bill contains, and provisions in the bill concerning the right to counsel. Hoffman is the director of the UH Law Center’s Immigration Clinic.
For more information:
Media Contacts: Carrie Criado, UH Law Center Executive Director of Communications and Marketing, 713-743-2184, cacriado@central.uh.edu; or John T. Kling, UH Law Center Communications Manager, 713- 743-8298, jtkling@central.uh.edu.
About the University of Houston Law Center
The University of Houston Law Center is the leading law school in the nation's fourth-largest city. Founded in 1947, it is a top-tier institution awarding Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees. The Law Center is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.