WILL YOU REMEMBER THIS ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008? That’s 544 days from today WHO SUPPORTS YOU-THE AMERICAN CITIZEN Is your Congress member ignoring you?

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Governor Mitt Romney On The Senate Immigration Agreement

Boston, MA - Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on today's U.S. Senate agreement on immigration reform:

"I strongly oppose today's bill going through the Senate. It is the wrong approach. Any legislation that allows illegal immigrants to stay in the country indefinitely, as the new 'Z-Visa' does, is a form of amnesty. That is unfair to the millions of people who have applied to legally immigrate to the U.S.

"Today's Senate agreement falls short of the actions needed to both solve our country's illegal immigration problem and also strengthen our legal immigration system. Border security and a reliable employment verification system must be our first priority."

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Sens. Kennedy, Specter Laud Immigration Deal
NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, May 18, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Leading U.S. senators reached an agreement on Thursday on immigration reform that would strengthen U.S. borders and grant lawful status to millions of illegal immigrants, a move that could lead to a major legislative victory for President George W. Bush.

This sets the stage for what is expected to be a passionate Senate debate over the proposal, which would give an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants legal status, create a temporary worker program and set up a new merit-based system for future immigrants.

"The agreement we've just reached is the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders, bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat who helped lead the bipartisan talks that included Sen. Jon Kyl and administration officials.

Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican said: "No matter what we craft it's going to be attacked from both the right and the left."

"This is the best I think that can be done," he added.

Immigration is a complex, hot-button issue that has divided U.S. political parties in a way that has made it difficult to pass reform legislation. Hundreds of thousands of Latinos and other immigrants rallied as recently as May 1 to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants.

But Republicans oppose amnesty and blocked consideration of immigration legislation last year in the U.S. House of Representatives, saying it rewarded people who broke U.S. laws.

Republican Reps. Lamar Smith of Texas and Peter King of New York condemned the Senate compromise, issuing a statement calling it an amnesty "that treats illegal immigrants better than those who play by the rules and come in the right way."

The Senate compromise will put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship after a probationary period and make them pay stiffer fines than proposed in last year's bill.

The agreement was reached after marathon talks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, has set aside next week for the Senate to debate the legislation and several amendments are expected. The House is expected to take up its own version of immigration reform later this year.

DEMOCRATIC RESERVATIONS, BUSH SUPPORT

One Democratic negotiator said he could not support the compromise, citing the temporary worker program and fees immigrants would pay in the legalization program.

"I for one cannot settle for something that isn't responsible, or something that creates a bigger problem than already exists," said New Jersey Democrat Sen. Robert Menendez, who participated in the negotiations. "It doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to be fair, humane, and practical."

Bush embraced the Senate breakthrough.

"I really am anxious to sign a comprehensive immigration bill as soon as we possibly can. Today we took a good step in that direction," he said.

Under the legislation, a new Z visa would be created for illegal immigrants who can prove they arrived in the United States before January 1, 2007. They would receive a probationary visa while background checks were conducted to ensure they have committed no crime. That would convert to a renewable four-year Z visa allowing employment in the United States. After that renewal, the worker could be eligible for a green card.

It would also create a temporary worker program that would allow workers from Mexico and other countries to work for two years and then require them to go home before they could return. At least 400,000 visas a year could be issued.

Temporary workers would be allowed three two-year work periods, but their time in the United States would help them earn points toward seeking permanent status. Kennedy said the worker program includes strong labor protections.

The legislation also includes tough border security and workplace enforcement measures that would have to take effect before the temporary worker program is allowed to go forward.

The proposal would limit family-based migration to immediate family members and establish a merit-based system by which future migrants could earn points for skills, education, understanding of English and family ties. Kennedy said the merit system would include low-skilled workers needed in the United States as well as highly skilled workers.

Some immigrant groups called the compromise a first step, but made clear they would like to see some changes.

"The package is generous for those who are already here and those who have waited patiently to come legally," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum.

"How the deal treats immigrant families and workers coming in the future is where the biggest problem lies," he said.

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Major Provisions of the Immigration Deal
NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, May 18, 2007

Major provisions of the bipartisan immigration compromise:

CURRENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

·  They could come forward immediately and receive probationary legal status.
·  Bill creates a four-year, renewable "Z" visa for those present within the U.S. unlawfully before Jan. 1, 2007.
·  Undocumented immigrants may adjust status to lawful permanent residence once they pay $5,000 in fees and fines and their head of household returns to their home country.
·  People under age 30 who were brought to the U.S. as minors could receive their green cards after three years, rather than eight.
·  Undocumented farmworkers who can demonstrate they have worked 150 hours or three years in agriculture can apply for green cards.
·  No green cards for "Z" visa holders can be processed until "triggers" for border security and workplace enforcement have been met, estimated to take 18 months. Processing of green cards for holders of "Z" visas would begin after clearing an existing backlog, which is expected to take eight years.

BORDER SECURITY

·  Hire 18,000 new border patrol agents.
·  Erect 200 miles of vehicle barriers and 370 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.
·  Erect 70 ground-based radar and camera towers along the southern border.
·  Deploy four unmanned aerial vehicles and supporting systems.
·  End the program in which illegal immigrants are released upon apprehension.
·  Provide for detaining up to 27,500 aliens per day on an annual basis.
·  Use secure and effective identification tools to prevent unauthorized work.

WORKPLACE ENFORCEMENT

·  Require employers to electronically verify new employees to prove identity and work eligibility.
·  Increase penalties for unlawful hiring, employment and record keeping violations.

GUEST WORKERS (requires border security measures to be in place first)

·  Create a new temporary guest worker program with two-year "Y visas," initially capped at 400,000 per year with annual adjustments based on market fluctuations
·  Workers could renew the Y visa up to three times, but would be required to return home for a year in between each time. Those bringing dependents could obtain only one, nonrenewable two-year visa.
·  Families could accompany guest workers only if they could show proof of medical insurance and demonstrate that their wages were 150 percent above the poverty level.

FUTURE IMMIGRANTS

·  Spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents would be eligible for green cards based purely on their family connections, but other relatives such as adult children and siblings would not.

·  380,000 visas a year would be awarded based on a point system, with about 50 percent based on employment criteria, 25 percent based on education, 15 percent on English proficiency and 10 percent on family connections.

·  Apply new limits to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.

·  Visas for parents of U.S. citizens would be capped annually at 40,000 and those for spouses and children at 87,000

Deal May Legalize Millions of Immigrants

May 17, 9:47 PM (ET)

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a striking reach across party lines, the White House and key lawmakers agreed Thursday on a sweeping immigration plan to grant legal status to millions of people in the country unlawfully.

Sealed after months of secretive bargaining, the deal mandates bolstered border security and a high-tech employment verification system to prevent illegal workers from getting jobs.

President Bush said the proposal would "help enforce our borders but equally importantly, it'll treat people with respect."

The compromise brought together an unlikely alliance of liberal Democrats such as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and conservative Republicans such as Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona on an issue that carries heavy potential risks and rewards for all involved.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said debate would begin on Monday, but he cautioned, "I don't know if the immigration legislation is going to bear fruit and we're going to be able to pass it."

Almost instantly, the plan brought vehement criticism from both sides of the immigration issue, including liberals who called it unfair and unworkable and conservatives who branded it an overly permissive "amnesty."

The proposal constitutes a far-reaching change in the immigration system that would admit future arrivals seeking to put down roots in the U.S. based on their skills, education levels and job experience, limiting the importance of family ties. A new class of guest workers would be allowed in temporarily, but only after the new security measures were in place - expected to take 18 months.

"This is a bill where people who live here in our country will be treated without amnesty but without animosity," Bush said.

Kennedy hailed it as "the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders and bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America."

Kyl said the measure wasn't perfect, "but it represents the best opportunity that we have in a bipartisan way to do something about this problem."

It was clear, however, that many Republicans and Democrats were deeply skeptical. Reid said it needed improvement.

"I have serious concerns about some aspects of this proposal, including the structure of the temporary worker program and undue limitations on family immigration," Reid said.

Conservatives on both sides of the Capitol derided the deal as "amnesty" for illegal immigrants, using a politically charged word that figured prominently in campaigns across the country last year.

"I don't care how you try to spin it, this is amnesty," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.

The proposed agreement would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a "Z visa" and - after paying fees and a $5,000 fine - ultimately get on track for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. Heads of households would have to return to their home countries first.

They could come forward right away to claim a probationary card that would let them live and work legally in the U.S., but could not begin the path to permanent residency or citizenship until border security improvements and the high-tech worker identification program were completed.

A new crop of low-skilled guest workers would have to return home after stints of two years. They could renew their visas twice, but would be required to leave for a year in between each time. If they wanted to stay in the U.S. permanently, they would have to apply under the point system for a limited pool of green cards.

The program drew fire from liberal groups that said it was unworkable. They had joined Democrats in pressing instead for guest workers to be permitted to stay and work indefinitely in the U.S., and ultimately earn the chance to stay.

"Without a clear path to permanent residence for a healthy share of the future temporary workers, we run the risk of reproducing the widespread illegality that this bill is designed to address," said Frank Sharry, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said he would try to kill the temporary worker program because it would bring in a potentially unlimited stream of immigrants to compete with Americans for jobs and depress wages.

In perhaps the most hotly debated change, the proposed plan would shift from an immigration system primarily weighted toward family ties toward one with preferences for people with advanced degrees and sophisticated skills. Republicans have long sought such revisions, which they say are needed to end "chain migration" that harms the economy.

Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card - except for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens. Strict new limits would apply to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.

The issue quickly became a subject of debate among presidential candidates in both parties, exposing divisions among Republicans.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who led the charge last year to push through an immigration overhaul, called the deal "the first step" and urged moving it forward before the politics of 2008 made such action impossible.

"We all know that this issue can be caught up in extracurricular politics unless we move forward as quickly as possible," said McCain.

Mitt Romney, another Republican presidential hopeful, issued a statement calling the plan "the wrong approach," saying it conferred "a form of amnesty" on illegal immigrants. "That is unfair to the millions of people who have applied to legally immigrate to the U.S.," the former Massachusetts governor said.

Former Republican Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who is weighing a presidential bid, said the measure should be scrapped in favor of one that secures the border.

"With this bill, the American people are going to think they are being sold the same bill of goods as before on border security," Thompson said in a statement.

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois said the compromise needs work.

"Without modifications, the proposed bill could devalue the importance of family reunification, replace the current group of undocumented immigrants with a new undocumented population consisting of guest workers who will overstay their visas, and potentially drive down wages of American workers," Obama said in a statement.

Senate Negotiators Agree on Immigration
Overhaul Plan

James Rowley and Jay Newton-Small
Thu May 17, 4:34 PM ET

May 17 (Bloomberg) -- Senate negotiators reached bipartisan agreement on immigration legislation aimed at providing a path to citizenship for 12 million undocumented aliens while improving U.S. border security.

``This agreement is the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders, bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America,'' Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and chief sponsor of the overhaul, said at a news conference.

The plan, with Bush administration support, would give illegal immigrants in the U.S. a chance for permanent residency after eight years and eventual citizenship. It would create a temporary worker program, beef up border patrols and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants.

Kennedy may have trouble mustering support from his own party. Only three Democrats -- Kennedy, Colorado Senator Ken Salazar (news, bio, voting record) and Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record) of California -- attended the press conference with seven Republican senators, including Arizona Republican John McCain (news, bio, voting record), a presidential candidate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) he has ``serious concerns'' about the temporary-worker program. The Nevada Democrat said in a statement that the proposal ``can serve as a starting point for the Senate debate next week.''

`Orderly and Fair'

President George W. Bush said the proposed legislation ``will help enforce our borders, but equally importantly, it will treat people with respect.''

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the plan ``gives an honest solution to a problem that has bedeviled this country for decades.'' Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez negotiated with lawmakers on the measure for weeks.

South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record) predicted ``overwhelming'' support for the plan in Congress.

``This is the last, best chance to pass immigration reform on our terms as a nation,'' Graham said. ``If this somehow collapsed it will be years before you could recreate this.''

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) met today with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and said the Senate measure is a good starting point that may need to be improved through amendments. Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the House intends to complete work on its own bill before recessing in August.

Last Year's Measure

Reid had pressured the negotiators to reach a deal by threatening to call for debate on immigration legislation that passed the Senate last year before the House shelved it. Reid said Congress must act now or miss a chance to overhaul the law before the 2008 presidential election.

The accord is intended to cover the main elements of a plan sought by Bush for more than two years.

Besides giving 12 million undocumented immigrants a path to legal status and citizenship, the new plan would create a point system to give preferences to future immigrants with special job skills and educational credentials.

Businesses such as farms and restaurants have backed legislation that would allow immigrants to at least temporarily take jobs in the U.S. that might otherwise go unfilled. The Chamber of Commerce, the nation's largest business federation, supports ``an earned pathway to legalization'' and a ``carefully monitored guest or essential worker program'' to fill gaps in the U.S. workforce, according to a statement on its Web site.

Bush and Democrats backed similar legislation a year ago before it was blocked by House Republicans, who dismissed the citizenship opportunity for those illegally in the U.S. as amnesty for lawbreakers.

`Important Step'

McCain called the new proposal ``a first step but important step in moving forward with comprehensive overall immigration reform,'' said McCain. He said the measure would ``put employers on notice that the practice of hiring illegal workers will no longer be tolerated.''

``This will restore the rule of law,'' said Specter. He called the agreement ``the best I think that can be done,'' though he predicted, ``No matter what we craft, it's going to be attacked both from the right and the left.''

Criticism came almost immediately from House Republicans Lamar Smith (news, bio, voting record) of Texas, his party's ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, and Peter King (news, bio, voting record) of New York, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee.

``This proposal would do lasting damage to the country, American workers, and the rule of law,'' Smith said. ``Amnesty puts lawbreakers ahead of those who are law-abiding, puts foreign workers ahead of American workers, and encourages even more illegal immigration.''

Bush hails Senate immigration deal

By Edward Luce in Washington

Published: May 17 2007 22:20 | Last updated: May 17 2007 22:20

George W. Bush on Wednesday hailed as “historic” a bipartisan Senate compromise that offers the best hope in years of reforming America’s broken immigration system.

The deal, which was hammered out over the last month by 10 senators including Ted Kennedy, the Democrat from Massachusetts and Lindsey Graham, the Republican from South Carolina, would provide “a pathway” to US citizenship for the 12m “undocumented workers” already in the United States.

It would also set up a new temporary guest worker programme for unskilled immigrants and a merit-based system for skilled immigrants to attain a green card. The bill would further tighten border security, particularly along the US’s 2,000-mile frontier with Mexico, and toughens penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens.

“I have been around long enough to know that opportunities like this don’t come around very often,” said Mr Kennedy. “Senators from both parties are now determined to solve this crisis, secure our borders and bring millions out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America.”

Mr Bush, who has identified comprehensive immigration reform as one of his key priorities in the 20 months he has left in office, said it would create a system that was “secure, productive, orderly and fair”. The US president said he hoped it would be enacted by Congress before the end of the year.

However, Arlen Specter, one of the Republicans who helped broker the compromise, conceded it was likely to attract criticisms from the left, which would see it as unnecessarily draconian, and the right, which is already alleging that it will provide an “amnesty” to the 12m illegal immigrants. “Without this [compromise] there will be anarchy,” said Mr Specter. “This is the best that can be done.”

Last year the Republicans lost a significant share of the Hispanic vote in mid-term congressional elections after they pushed through a purely enforcement-based immigration reform that included building a 700-mile fence on the southern border.

Among the Republican presidential candidates, both John McCain, who initially sponsored a reform bill with Mr Kennedy, and Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, have come under increasing attack from the party rank and file for associating themselves with alleged “amnesty” for illegal aliens. But the Democrats and the labour unions are also divided.

US Congress in illegal immigrants deal

May 17 06:39 PM US/Eastern

Senators and the White House clinched a deal Thursday on bringing 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows and securing US borders, which could enhance President George W. Bush's legacy.

The pact would provide a path to permanent residency and citizenship for illegal workers, establish a merit-based points system for future immigrants and also establish a temporary worker program.

The bill, which emerged from exhaustive round-the-clock talks, and will be debated in the Senate next week, will provide 18,000 more border patrol agents, and scores of radar and camera towers on the US border with Mexico.

It is aimed at defusing a fiercely polarizing issue in American life and fast-tracking reform before American politics is consumed by partisan rancor in the run up to congressional and presidential elections in 2008.

"I really am anxious to sign a comprehensive immigration bill as soon as I possibly can. Today we took a good step toward that direction," Bush said after lawmakers announced the sweeping agreement.

Earlier, Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy, flanked by key Republicans including presidential candidate John McCain, said the deal was true to America's "humanity and our tradition of a nation of immigrants."

"Politics is the art of the possible and the agreement we just reached is the best possible

chance we will have in years to secure our borders, bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America."

The Senate's Democratic Majority leader Harry Reid confirmed debate would start on Monday, but expressed reservations about the pact, hammered out by top senators and key members of Bush's cabinet.

"I have serious concerns about some aspects of this proposal, including the structure of the temporary worker program and undue limitations on family immigration," Reid said.

"We need to improve the bill as it moves through the legislative process."

Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, which must also pass the bill, echoed Reid's sentiments.

"While the bipartisan Senate agreement starts the process, I have serious concerns about some elements of this proposal -- the bill must be improved in the Senate," she said.

Republican and Democratic aides said the deal was intended to move the US immigration system to a merit-based system, rather than prioritizing claims for extended families of immigrants.

"It is intended to reflect the labor needs of the United States in the 21st century, rather than the 19th century," a senior Republican staffer said on condition of anonymity.

If it becomes law, the bill will set up a seven-part immigration system.

Immediate changes will see the hiring of 18,000 new border patrol agents, the construction of 200 miles of barriers and 370 miles of fencing, and the construction of 70 ground-based radar and camera towers on the Mexican border.

The US Homeland Security Secretary will be required that such enforcement measures were in place, before the new temporary worker program and arrangements for those living in the United States illegally can begin.

Those illegally in the United States before January 1, 2007 will be able to pay a 5,000 dollar fine and get a non-immigrant 'Z' visa which will allow them eventually to become eligible for a green card or permanent residency.

Criteria for green card allocation will also change, moving more towards merit-based immigrants on a points system from family-based immigration.

Points will be awarded for proficiency in the English language, graduate and post graduate education, excellence in science, technology and mathematics disciplines and for expertise in an area of high labor demand.

The deal will also raise the number of H-1B visas, used by American universities and companies to find skilled workers like scientists, medical experts and computer programmers, from 65,000 a year to 115,000 a year.

In years of especially high demand, that figure will rise to 180,000 a year.

Illegal Immigrants Question Senate Deal

May 17, 6:50 PM (ET)

By PETER PRENGAMAN

LOS ANGELES (AP) - David Guerra wants to be legal, but he says the path to citizenship offered by the Senate on Thursday would be too risky and too expensive, and could end up driving him deeper into the shadows.

Guerra's wife and children in El Salvador depend on the $300 he sends home each month from his job as a day laborer. Key provisions of the legislation would require him to return home to apply for residency, pay a $5,000 fine and spend thousands more in application fees.

That would be disastrous for his family, he said, and, worse, he's not sure he can trust U.S. immigration authorities who have been rounding up and deporting his fellow immigrants for months.

"If I go home, who is going to guarantee that I'll be let back in?" said the 44-year-old who lays bricks, clears weeds and does landscaping.

Across the nation, illegal immigrants, many of whom toil in dirty, low-paying jobs, sharply criticized the Senate's immigration overhaul package as overly burdensome and impractical.

"Where would I find $5,000? In two years, I don't get $5,000," said Daniel Carrillo Maldonado, an illegal immigrant who was looking for construction work outside a Home Depot in Phoenix.

The agreement between the Senate and White House would allow illegal immigrants to obtain a special visa. After paying fees and the fine, they could get on a path to permanent residency that could take eight to 13 years. Heads of household would have to return to their home countries first.

Some illegal immigrants said returning home presented another major hurdle: Applying for residency at U.S. embassies in their home countries.

Amy Ndour, a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from Senegal who lives in New York, said she would be willing to pay the $5,000 fine, but not return home because her family there depends on what she earns as a hair braider.

"I'm helping myself" here, she said. "I'm helping people there too."

Karina Corona, 32, an illegal immigrant from San Diego, works seven days a week at two jobs - one at a delicatessen and another as a seamstress. She said $5,000 is a small price to pay.

"Compared with the better jobs you can get, it's nothing. It's well worth it," she said.

Carlos Velazquez, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant in Los Angeles, said he applied twice for visas in Honduras, and both times had to pay several bribes to local embassy staff.

"Only with money will the monkey dance," said Velazquez, using an idiomatic expression to refer to bribes.

The Senate agreement includes a so-called "point system," which for the first time would prioritize immigrants' education and skill level over family connections in deciding how to award green cards that allow permanent residency.

Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card - except for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens. And new limits would apply to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.

Many illegal immigrants said they had little incentive to apply for residency because the process was long and did not offer much hope of bringing their families.

"If I'll never be able to bring my family, why should I apply?" said Jose Monson, a 33-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala who has lived in Los Angeles for four years. "I prefer to just stay here illegally."

"If I get deported and need to cross the border again, that's not a problem," he said.

Several unions, which have many immigrants in their ranks, took issue with the creation of a new temporary guest worker program.

New workers would have to return home after two-year stints, with little opportunity to gain permanent legal status or ever become U.S. citizens. They could renew their guest worker visas twice, but would be required to leave for a year between each stint.

"Temporary workers depress wages and create a second-class work force that is disconnected from the U.S. mainstream and not equal," said Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union.

Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Labor Organizing Network, said the guest worker component would likely exacerbate rhetoric between anti-illegal immigration groups and immigration groups. Groups such as the Minutemen regularly stage protests in front of day labor centers.

"You will still have the anti-immigrant organizations blaming immigrants for depressed wages," Alvarado said.

Still, the agreement gave some hope.

In Houston, Marco Antonio Rodiguez, said he would be happy with a permit that would allow him to work legally and return to Mexico twice a year to see his wife and three children.

"Immigration reform would benefit us so much, both ourselves and families," said Rodriguez, a 48-year-old illegal immigrant who does odd jobs. "We want the law to be approved. I'm praying to God that it passes."

Pascual Bravo, an illegal immigrant who works at a construction company in Middletown, N.Y., was also eager to achieve legal status.