Illegal immigrants could stay indefinitely under Senate plan

Star-Telegram Washington Bureau ^ | Mar. 06, 2006 | DAVE MONTGOMERY

[Dubya]

WASHINGTON - The Senate’s main immigration bill would enable most illegal immigrants now in the United States to remain indefinitely as long as they stay employed, but it wouldn’t put them on a glide path to U.S. citizenship.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin debating the measure Wednesday under a three-week timetable aimed at producing a final version for the full Senate by March 27.

Sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee chairman, the legislation is designed to strike a middle course between a bill passed by the House of Representatives calling for tougher immigration enforcement and pro-immigration advocates who call for permanent legal status - and eventual citizenship - for the estimated 11 million aliens now in the country illegally.

President Bush, defying objections from conservatives, has called for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws and the creation of a temporary guest-worker program to ensure a steady source of labor for U.S. business. Under Bush’s plan, qualified workers, including residents now here illegally, could stay in jobs for up to six years, then would be required to return home.

Senate Judiciary Committee staff members who explained key provisions of Specter’s bill on Monday said that the measure would create a "gold card" program for illegal immigrants who entered the United States before Jan. 4, 2004. It also would create a guest-worker program to bring in more foreign laborers.

Applicants for the gold card would undergo a background check by the Homeland Security Department, then be eligible for two-year work visas that could be renewed indefinitely, committee aides said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging their boss. The workers wouldn’t participate in the Social Security system but would contribute to future savings through worker investment accounts.

One top committee staffer described the gold-card proposal as "a reasonable compromise" in dealing with illegal immigrants, many of whom have lived in the country for decades. The undesirable alternative, he said, would be an unworkable massive roundup, which administration officials have said would cost billions of dollars.

Unlike other proposals, Specter’s bill wouldn’t require the immigrants to pay a fine to step forward, aides said. They also said that the proposal isn’t a form of amnesty since it wouldn’t offer an automatic track toward citizenship. However, they noted that the measure wouldn’t preclude applicants from eventual citizenship.

Under the separate guest-worker program, which would be based on U.S. labor needs, foreign applicants could work for three years, then could apply to work for another three years before returning home. They’d be required to remain in their home country for a year before reapplying.

Advocates on both sides of the immigration debate criticized Specter’s proposal as an inadequate attempt to placate opposing groups.

"Some people are going to say it’s amnesty, and others are going to say it creates a second-class caste of workers," said Tamar Jacoby of the Manhattan Institute, a New York-based think tank that leans right. "It’s a non-starter for both sides."

Tensions between opposing groups escalated on the eve of the committee’s deliberations, underscoring the passions surrounding the immigration issue. The National Capital Immigration Coalition announced plans for a Capitol Hill rally Tuesday afternoon to demand eventual citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Specter’s 305-page bill included elements from two other major bills, one co-sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., the other by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Many pro-immigrant groups, as well as a number of business organizations, have lined up behind McCain-Kennedy, which has a guest-worker program that would put undocumented residents on a path to eventual citizenship.

The Cornyn-Kyl bill also creates a guest-worker program, but illegal immigrants would first be required to return to their home countries after a five-year grace period before they could participate.

For more information, go to www.immigrationforum.org or www.fairus.org

[Conservative Firster]

"The undesirable alternative, he said, would be an unworkable massive roundup, which administration officials have said would cost billions of dollars."

Straw Man Alert!

---

"Senate Judiciary Committee staff members who explained key provisions of Specter’s bill on Monday said that the measure would create a "gold card" program for illegal immigrants who entered the United States before Jan. 4, 2004. It also would create a guest-worker program to bring in more foreign laborers."

Does Bush Have The Midas Touch?

Can he sell the Senate "Tarjetas Dorado" aka "Gold Cards" for Illegal Aliens allowing them to stay in U.S. indefinitely?

The Stein Report has learned of an secret briefing for Senate staffers by the Bush administration today. In a move to build support for Bush's guest worker amnesty plan, administration officials talked about how they would actually implement the program. Jaws dropped as the administration reps explained the centerpiece of the program, a "Gold Card" that would enable illegal aliens to enter the U.S. at will, and work at any job with no labor market or other tests needed but would deny them citizenship. "Gold Card" would be valid forever, similar to current "Green Cards" but illegal aliens holding a "Gold Card" would not be able to adjust their status through naturalization.

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Immigration agency falters in handling fraud
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
March 6, 2006

"A draft government report shows the agency that would oversee any future guest-worker program doesn't have a handle on fraud, doesn't do enough to deter it, and won't have a fraud-management system in place until 2011 -- years after its proponents want a program to start."

"A copy of the draft, obtained by The Washington Times, says U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has looked at the prevalence of fraud in just a few of the types of visas it now issues and doesn't give adjudicators the time or tools to detect fraud or refer it to authorities for prosecution."

"The report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that USCIS can't tell the extent of immigration benefit fraud, but "it is a serious problem."

[Shermy]

"Bush doesn't listen to his base. He listens to Rove and Norquist, who are 1000% pro-illegal immigration (and Norquist is an Islamist as well)."

I imagine Rove stroking Bush's ego in private. "George, you'll look like a compassionate conservative. Make sure to use that firm grimace of yours that communicates your opponents are racists. Heck George, call them racists. Use the "hispanic citizens will support Repubs" line, you know it's true, they all think alike as you know."

What's Rove's angle? He's not getting the brokerage sinecure for getting "privatization" of social security any more. Maybe he'll get one from the transportation lobby?

[Americanexpat]

No body is listening, they have heard the base and choose to ignore it.

[Shermy]

BTW, Bush has set up a clever ruse to appear firm on immigration. Per Chertoff's anouncement some months aog they're going to end the catch and release policy. When? April? May? Nope, October, one month before the election.

[Shermy]

"The undesirable alternative, he said, would be an unworkable massive roundup, which administration officials have said would cost billions of dollars."

Oooh, billions! When did that stop the government? How much does the illegals working under the table and sending money overseas cost?

[poindexter]

What about all of those years of not filing federal income tax returns? What would happen to you or I if we refused to file for years on end?

[rbg81]

If the Republicans don't watch it, a whole bunch of us might just stay home out of disgust. Frankly, I'm sick of electing RINOs who turn out to be just as bad as Dems.

[EternalVigilance]

Arlen Specter, RINO's RINO, offers his two cents worth.

[joesnuffy]

Someday conservatives might actually come to dominate the Senate of the USA.....

Support Term Limits......get real Americans in office...

imo

[CowboyJay]

Thanks for posting.

[steel_resolve]

You know, if we just went and deported them all, it would send a powerful message to Europe that it IS possible to eliminate the Muslim scourge from your midst.

[capecodconservative]

The Republican Party, especially Bush, has absolutely betrayed the American people on this issue. They are killing the country for [1] financial reasons or [2] because they think that bending to these crimaliens will somehow draw them into the party.

I was a registered Republican for 20 years. No more and this issue is the reason. Next election, I stay home. No more $$$ to the RNC either. No more volunteering on campaigns.

I agree with Pat Buchanan on this issue: If there are grounds for Bush's impeachment, it's not Iraq or the war on terror, it's his betrayal of the American people by failing to protect the borders so demonstrably. The man is absolutely shameful on this issue---it's Clintonesque.

Build a fence with troops on the border, deport the crimaliens back to the third, fourth and fifth world hell holes whence they came and jail anyone who hires or rents to crimaliens and the problem would be solved in a year.
Not only that: health care costs would drop, schools would be less crowded and less expensive, street crime would be reduced.

This is a no brainer. I wish to God I'd written in Buchanan or Tancredo in '04. This issue has made me ashamed I voted for Bush a second time.

[HiJinx]

Ping!
Also discussed here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1591417/posts

[Ladycalif]

[headstamp]

"The workers wouldn’t participate in the Social Security system but would contribute to future savings through worker investment accounts."

Gee, I guess you can opt out of SS and get a private retirement account if your an illegal but not as a citizen.

[headstamp]

"The undesirable alternative, he said, would be an unworkable massive roundup, which administration officials have said would cost billions of dollars."

Yes, but it perfectly OK to spend billions on the war effort.(I'm not against the war effort mind you) This is an invasion of our own country and it will be too expensive to do anything about? Brilliant logic.

[dan1123]

Three things:

1) This will get more illegal immigrants who were not brave enough to come over the border before, but now they will in hopes of a "gold card"

2) There is no way that a fence and some kind of ID that is both unforgable and needs no central database (biometrics + PKI) would cost more money than either the current nightmare or the extended nightmare one this gold-card would cost.

3) Many employers *still* will prefer entirely undocumented workers because they can't sue (well, that is changing) and there is less paperwork.

The solution could be worked out with a good fence and a law that allows illegals to sue their employers for benefits that a citizen would get. It would also need a provision that the employer would then have to pay the gov't for all the back taxes they owe and file a similar amount of paperwork. Make that available and *no one* would want to hire an illegal.

[Fledermaus]

Hey, big difference you latin scum....YOU STARTED A WAR AND YOU LOST!

[rock58seg]

No!!! All illegal/criminal alioens should be sent home.