Senate clears $600 million border bill funded by work-visa fees

The Senate approved a bill on Thursday that would pump $600 million in emergency spending into security efforts along the border with Mexico, which would be paid for by raising work-visa fees on foreign companies operating in the United States.

The bill, which goes to President Obama for his signature, has been criticized by business groups over the fee increases and by immigration advocates because it focuses solely on law enforcement.

The bill was approved by unanimous consent, which meant senators did not have to return to Washington to vote. The Senate then adjourned and will not come back until Sept. 13.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., defended the fee increases and said the bill is intended to help jump-start negotiations over legislation that would overhaul U.S. immigration laws and give an estimated 11 million undocumented workers in the country a path to legal status.

The bill would increase the fees that foreign companies must pay to hire high-skilled workers through the H-1B work visa program and the L-1 visa program. Higher fees would apply to companies that have more than 50 employees and hire more than half their workforce through the visa programs.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-India Business Council oppose the increases. Information technology companies from India feel they are being targeted.

Schumer disputed the fee increase is aimed toward Indian companies. He said the intention is to raise fees on any company from any country that is exploiting loopholes in the H-1B visa program.

"Congress does not want the H-1B visa program to be a vehicle for creating multinational temp agencies where workers do not know what projects they will be working on -- or what cities they will be working in -- when they enter the country," he said as he spoke on the floor today. "The fee is based solely upon the business model of the company, not the location of the company."

Advocates who support comprehensive immigration reform also have criticized the bill because it does nothing to reform the nation's laws. Rather, it will beef up law enforcement operations along the nation's Southwest border by adding 1,500 border and immigration officers, increase unmanned drone operations and create more Border Patrol forward operating bases.

Schumer deflected that criticism, saying the bill is intended to show that lawmakers -- Democrats in particular -- are taking aggressive steps to secure the nation's borders. He said he hopes doing so will persuade Republicans to resume talks on crafting comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

"It is my hope that the bill we are passing today will break the deadlock that has existed in Congress and will clear the path for us to finally resume bipartisan negotiations in good faith on reforming our broken immigration system," Schumer said. "With this bill's passage today, we have clearly shown we are serious about securing our nation's borders. Now it is time for our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join us in fixing our entire broken immigration system."