| Cornyn said the Senate hearing will key in on creating a guest worker program that allows those here illegally to receive work permits, save money and then return home. Bush repeatedly has said he opposes amnesty.
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Posted on 02/04/2004 12:09:23 PM PST by VU4G10
McALLEN — Administration officials and lawmakers are expected to "flesh out" President Bush’s immigration reform proposal during a Senate hearing this week, amid mounting attacks from both political parties.
The hearing on Thursday is the first step in months in either branch of Congress to move forward any reform legislation. It is to focus on creating a new guest worker program and establish a legal flow of immigrant workers from Mexico and Central America.
Several immigration reform bills have been introduced in Congress since last July, but none has been given a hearing.
"I think the main thing is to allow the White House to flesh out the principals of what (Bush) laid out," said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
When outlining his proposal in January, Bush gave few specifics, instead leaving those to Congress.
Several Democratic lawmakers and immigrant rights groups have said Bush’s plan does not go far enough to establish a path to citizenship for the estimated 8 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants living and working illegally in the United States.
Some Republicans, and Border Patrol officers, have criticized the president for offering a type of amnesty to people who broke the law. They say Bush is attempting to woo Hispanic voters, who will be critical in states like Texas, Florida, New Mexico and Arizona during the upcoming presidential election.
Taylor Gross, White House deputy press secretary, could not be reached for comment by press time.
Those expected to testify at the hearing are U.S. Director of Citizenship Eduardo Aguirre, Undersecretary of Border and Transportation Asa Hutchinson and Steven Law, deputy secretary for the Department of Labor.
Bush’s proposal would grant all undocumented immigrants who can prove their employment a work permit that would last for three years. At the end of that time, it would be renewable for another three years.
The immigrants, with the permits, would be able to travel back and forth across the U.S. border. A guest worker program would establish a registry to match U.S. jobs with foreign workers.
If implemented, Bush’s plan would be the most sweeping overhaul of the nation’s immigration system since 1986, when then President Ronald Reagan granted amnesty to millions of undocumented workers.
"This is something that’s really been bubbling below the surface for a long time," Cornyn said. "I think the Senate, and certainly its leadership, is interested in restarting the debate."
Much of the president’s plan was drawn from bills sponsored by Cornyn and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
In the House of Representatives, however, the reform bills have been stalled in the judiciary committee.
"A group of Republican congressmen are hesitant to take on the (reform) as proposed by Bush," said U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes. "I don’t believe the Speaker of the House (Dennis Hastert) will move it as it is."
Cornyn said the Senate hearing will key in on creating a guest worker program that allows those here illegally to receive work permits, save money and then return home. Bush repeatedly has said he opposes amnesty.
Some lawmakers said they would be interested in seeing Bush’s reform more developed. But in the Rio Grande Valley, many of the people who work with undocumented immigrants say the premise of a guest worker program is flawed.
"Sure we’d like to see it clarified, but whether specific or general, we find it very unsatisfactory," said Jonathan Jones, program coordinator for Proyecto Libertad, which provides legal assistance for immigrants.
There is nothing in Bush’s plan that would help reunite families or create a path to citizenship for workers already here, Jones said.
The president has proposed that all undocumented immigrants would have to apply for visas and citizenship, the same as they do now, though the number of permanent visas would be increased. There are now millions of visa applications backing up the process within the Department of Homeland Security.
"I think we’ve had an administrative nightmare," Cornyn said of the visa process.
Unless the federal government can ensure that undocumented immigrants have the opportunity to become documented and do not risk deportation, any reform likely will fail, said Ninfa Ochoa-Krueger, director of the Border Association for Refugees from Central America.
Krueger said she does not know what chance any of the reform proposals have of success.
"Well, I’m not going to hold my breath," she said.
And if there is, no Republican will get my vote in 2004, maybe even in 2006 and 2008. Period.
"I think we?ve had an administrative nightmare," Cornyn said of the visa process.
Right. The *LEGAL* backlog is atrocious, and they'd better fix that first before tossing 12 million "guest worker" applications on top of the 5 million *LEGAL* immigrant applications from those who follow our laws and play by the rules.
They hypocrisy of Congress is astonishing. They know what the problems are and they refuse to act (it is a fact that technical immigration SNAFUs generate more contituent calls to Capitol Hill than any other issue without exception).
>>>"There are now millions of visa applications backing up the process within the Department of Homeland Security."
Then more millions would be added overnite. Great timing.
Question: what if these millions of TEMPORARRRRRY workers do not currently pay any income taxes? Will they be forced to account for their past wages? Would one working for $8 / hour in cash want to spill the beans about his employer not withholding wages? How would the employer feel about that? Should that employer be prosecuted?
The first step in immigration reform is to...
carry out the current laws.
What part of this does the executive branch not understand?
First move: protect the borders. Second move: carry out the remaining laws by ejecting those without visas or over-staying their visas.
Until the first move is made, protecting the borders, we'll know that all of their protestations are just hot air antics. Shuck and Jive. Shuck and Jive.
Just like the last time.
Hoppy
PS: for our international readers, shuck is the outside of a pea or corn. If you shuck something you throw it away as worthless. Jive is jazz music but also means to talk non-sense. Shuck and Jive is a phrase that means Same old B*** S*** and that certainly applies here.
Quite a few Congressmen need to Hop A train and begin a Long journey that takes them into oblivion.
This is a good thing!
There, cleansed of the PC crap meant to sweep the fact that this is an amnesty plan under the rug.
This rewards breaking the law.
Can I get a "get out of jail free" or a tax cut if I go score a dime-bag tonight?[/sarcasm]
"Bush’s proposal would grant all undocumented immigrants who can prove their employment a work permit that would last for three years. At the end of that time, it would be renewable for another three years."
Any of you going to FREEP these hearings?
:~)
| Cornyn said the Senate hearing will key in on creating a guest worker program that allows those here illegally to receive work permits, save money and then return home. Bush repeatedly has said he opposes amnesty.
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"......since 1986, when Reagan granted amnesty to millions...."
| You better call the Monitor and staighten them out about Reagan and amnesty. "......since 1986, when Reagan granted amnesty to millions...."
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Bush budget adds hundreds of immigration enforcement jobs
My favorite line:
The staffing increases would be the first for the office in two years, according to Anthony Tangeman, director of detention and removals in ICE. "If we continue to prove our worth to the Congress and the Office of Management and Budget, hopefully our program will grow over the years," he said Tuesday.
And another good one:
The budget also would fund 60 positions to oversee ICE's intensive supervision appearance program, an attempt to encourage aliens to appear at their immigration court hearings.
Gosh, I hope they don’t force them to appear – that might mean enforcing the law, and we wouldn’t want that, would we?
What a joke.
Oh no, they definitely said "encourage." I suppose they will offer cake and doorprizes next. Maybe free lunch.
Maybe I will wake up from this psycho's nightmare too.
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