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Highlights of Tentative Immigration Deal

Details of a tentative compromise in the Senate on immigration and border security:

_Allows illegal immigrants in the country five years or more to remain and continue working. The immigrants can apply for legal permanent residency after working six more years. They must pay fines and back taxes, learn English and clear a background check. After five years of legal permanent residency, they could apply for U.S. citizenship.

_Illegal immigrants in the country for two to five years have three years to gather material to qualify for a change in status. They would then have to go to a border port of entry, and return as temporary workers. Aides referred to this as "touch base and return," since individuals covered would know in advance they would be readmitted to the United States. In the fourth year as legal temporary workers they can apply for permanent residency.

_Requires illegal immigrants who have been in the U.S. for less than two years to leave. They could apply for temporary worker visas or legal permanent residency from their home country.

_Creates a special guest worker program for an estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers, who could also earn legal permanent residency. Illegal immigrants who can show they've worked seasonally in U.S. agriculture for three to five years could apply for this program, as could foreigners who have never worked in the U.S.

_Provides 325,000 temporary visas for future workers.

_Increases the number of employer-based green cards, those available for workers whose employers file petitions on their behalf, from 290,000 to 450,000 per year. Formerly illegal immigrants can compete for those green cards but they could not jump ahead of people already in line for them.

_Adds up to 14,000 new Border Patrol agents by 2011 to the current force of 11,300 agents, for a potential total of 25,300.

_Authorizes unmanned vehicles, cameras and sensors to monitor the U.S.-Mexican border.

_Authorizes additional detention facilities for apprehended illegal immigrants.

_Allows states to charge in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students with high school diplomas or GED and no criminal record. They must also meet other criteria.

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