Senators near compromise on immigration reform (HERE IT COMES)

REUTERS ^ | 16 March 2006 | Donna Smith

[VU4G10]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure to produce broad immigration reform legislation by the end of the month, a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday neared agreement on a proposal that would give some of the 12 million illegal aliens living in the country an opportunity to earn citizenship.

Although no vote will be held until after a weeklong congressional recess, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday appeared ready to back a proposal by panel member Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, who has worked on the issue with his Republican colleague John McCain of Arizona.

The panel, which is working on comprehensive immigration and border security legislation, will also consider a related proposal that would allow foreigners to enter the United States as legal guest workers and then have a chance to earn permanent status.

Republicans are divided over immigration policy, and the Judiciary Committee plan is likely to spark a firestorm from conservatives who oppose regularizing the status of illegal immigrants, saying they would be rewarded after breaking U.S. immigration law.

But backers cite both economic and security reasons. They say that providing a path to permanent residency and eventual citizenship will avoid creating a permanent underclass of workers and help bring illegals aliens out of the shadows.

Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican who opposes giving permanent status to illegals, said after the meeting that the panel would probably vote for the Kennedy plan.

"The votes are there," Grassley said.

NO AMNESTY

Kennedy told the committee the proposal was not an amnesty. People seeking legal status would have to pay a $2,000 fine, apply for a six-year temporary status, have a job, pay taxes, learn English and show an understanding of U.S. government.

They would not get permanent status faster than the three million foreigners awaiting legal entry, he said.

"There is no moving to the front of the line, there is no free ticket," Kennedy said. "This is not amnesty."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, quipped that the requirements "probably exclude half of my family."

The panel also reached tentative agreement on a guest worker program sought by President George W. Bush has said he wants. A compromise struck between Kennedy and Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, would give future temporary workers an opportunity to seek permanent status after four years.

U.S. business groups favor creating a temporary worker program to help fill jobs that Americans either cannot or will not do. Both business and labor groups also favor giving current undocumented workers a way to legalize their status.

Committee members said details would be worked out during the recess.

The panel is working against a deadline set by Majority Leader Bill Frist. The Tennessee Republican, and possible contender in the 2008 presidential race, wants the Senate to take up a bill addressing only enforcement and border security. He threatened to do that on March 27 if the Judiciary Committee failed to reach agreement on comprehensive legislation.

Whether Congress will finalize immigration legislation before the November congressional elections is unclear. Both Democrats and Republicans are likely to use the issue to gain advantage.

The House of Representatives has voted for tough border security and enforcement legislation with no guest worker program. The two sides would have to work out their differences before a bill could be sent to Bush for his signature.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

If it's coming from THIS Senate, BOHICA!

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

We are surrendering to the war with Mexico.

Mexico invaded the USA, and now both the RATs and the RAT-like Respendicans want to surrender.

Both parties will not stop until they are sure they have sold the last remaining remnants of America to the highest bidder (and in many cases the lowest bidder).

[Hop A Long Cassidy]

It would be amazing that DeLay would win the Republican nomination only to lose to a Democrat in the real election.

This will be disappointing to watch the Republicans commit political hari-kari in the next national elections.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>>There is nothing wrong with the new drug program ...

Nothing except for the fact its socialized medicine. Coming from Britain I can understand why you have no problem with it. Maybe you should take the time and read the US Constitution. Its America's governing document. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about the federal government being responsible for a citizens retirement needs, medical needs or prescription drug needs.

[onyx]

Exactly. You're the ones who will contiunue to complain from the sidelines of politics without a voice at the table. Enjoy. lol

[headstamp]

Exactly. When you have a massive water leak (illegals), you shut it off at the source (border)first. Then you mop up the floor.(illegals already here)

These proposed laws do everything backwards which means the "leak" will never be stopped. The pols don't want it to be stopped. They just want to kick the can further down the road as usual.

[jpsb]

"we are letting Kennedy write the bills"

Yup the Bush GOP let the Kennedy's set policy.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

"Kennedy told the committee the proposal was not an amnesty."

LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE. Send all the illegals to Kennedy, and let him take care of them...

[Flux Capacitor]

----We need a viable third party now.----

Third party?! Hell, we need a viable SECOND party right now. Because the growing corruption within the Republican Party that has LED to things like this has been made possible by the utter lack of any reasonable alternative. The Democrats, of course, have rendered themselves totally unacceptable for any elective office at any level of government. The Libertarians are closet Democrats. The Constitutionalists think it's still 1808.

If the Republicans maintain their congressional majorities this fall, I promise you all that it will be in large part because the people will understand that the alternative is handing Congress over to outright Stalinists. The Democratic Party must be destroyed and replaced with something that will give Americans an actual choice in their elections. Because I've voted straight-ticket GOP in every cycle since I came of voting age, and with a single exception (Bobby Jindal), I honestly can't recall a time that I cast a positive vote FOR any of my party's nominees. Bush included.

-Dan

[ozarkgirl]

Yes, he signed the amnesty AND required all employers to make sure that they are employing people who legally have a right to work here. You always forget that part. He was making sure it wouldn't happen again. But it did...because we don't enforce current laws.

"The I-9 form is the Employment Eligibility Verification Form. This verification method was introduced and required of all U.S. employers with the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (known also as IRCA). This is a Federal Law, and it applies equally to all U.S. employers and relates to all U.S. employees, whether they are U.S. nationals or nationals of other countries. Compliance is not optional, and, in fact failure to comply with this law is punishable by both criminal as well as civil penalties"

[daivid]

Maybe China is better example of what happens when capitalist forces are unleashed.

The Communist Manifesto says:

"In this sense, the theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property."

Not only the Communist Chinese leaders have ditched the main tenet of Communism, they have gone even further in allowing partial foreign ownership of Chinese companies, or what they used to call "neocolonialism" and "imperialism."

In order to keep up with the times, the Chinese constitution has been changed to allow for private property, inheritance of private property, and even compensation when private property is seized by the state.

If you look at the American economic landscape, you will realize that we have a tight labor market; many employers are competing for a limited pool of labor to the point that the unemployment rate is below the natural rate in many states. Will the capitalists give up the opportunity to provide services and products?

Mexico has zillions of healthy, young workers ready to move North and take those jobs. Will the capitalists refuse to hire Mexican workers because these workers don't have papers? Or will the capitalists lobby Congress to change the laws?

[Junior_G]

The Democratic Party must be destroyed and replaced with something that will give Americans an actual choice in their elections.

Patriotism is no longer taught in schools-----kids are being raised to hate this country. The Democratic Party isn't going anywhere as long as we keep breeding leftist idiots.

[R. Scott]

You don’t want to live in Aztlan?

[Peach]

Huh. On Brit Hume's show they are talking that so few politicians are willing to attack the problem is because it's not seen as widely unpopular.

Maybe all the complainers on this thread are just complaining and not actually making phone calls to their Congressmen.

[texasbluebell]

"Kennedy told the committee the proposal was not an amnesty."

LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE. Send all the illegals to Kennedy, and let him take care of them...

That's the same Kennedy who said the following back in 1965 (he was lying then and he's lying now):

"The bill will not flood our cities with immigrants. It will not upset the ethnic mix of our society. It will not relax the standards of admission. It will not cause American workers to lose their jobs."

(U.S. Senate, Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization of the Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, D.C., Feb. 10, 1965. pp. 1-3.). (from wikipedia article on TK)

[ozarkgirl]

Likely few will comply. Why should they? It'll cost them $2,000.

Exactly, they know they won't have to, they've never had to before, why start now? Only an idiot would think they would actually pay to receive services they've gotten for free before! (Kennedy and McCain for instance). It's all smoke and mirrors to make the American voter think the Congress is actually doing something to address the problem.

[ozarkgirl]

But there are a lot of you on this thread who have hardly ever had a good thing to say about this administration and if you're conservatives, I think I'd faint.

Many of us are conservatives, I suspect you are a Republican. Sometimes they are the same, sometimes they are different.

[daivid]

he signed the amnesty AND required all employers to make sure that they are employing people who legally have a right to work here

Actually, that's not quite accurate.

The current immigration law only requires the employer to keep copies of documents showing that the employee is legal.

There is no requirement to "make sure." As a matter of fact, the Social Security Administration and CIS/ICE will not inspect these documents or "make sure" of anything. And since the employers are no experts, there is a loophole big enough to drive through a pickup truck full of illegals.

Going by all the employers for which I've worked, most illegal aliens were hired because they had papers. Fake papers, but the required papers.

And with the advent of the computer age, even the best experts have a hard time distinguishing between fake and real documents.

[Reagan Man]

Exercising ones right to free speech is far from complaining. Political dissent is an American way of life. Its also why most of us come to Free Republic.

On Special Report today, Fred Barnes pointed out that the McCain-Kennedy bill would make it through the Senate, but not through the House. House members are closer to the people then Senators are. House members understand that amnesty and guest worker programs are unpopular with the vasy majority of the American people. On the immigration issue, Senators are out of touch with reality.

[Serenissima Venezia]

It's actually very simple - enforce the existing laws fining employers that are caught employing illegals.

With no work, most will go home.