Because WE THE SHEEPLE are allowing it to happen.
Posted on 03/16/2006 4:29:05 PM PST by seastay
A bill that would give millions of illegal aliens in the United States the opportunity to earn citizenship is closer to becoming law today as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee signaled likely passage of a proposal by Sens. Edward Kenney, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz.
Though a committee vote will not be held until after a week-long congressional recess, likely March 27, committee members appeared ready to back the Kennedy-McCain bill.
"The votes are there," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.
Congress is working to pass a reform bill that includes enforcement, a policy on dealing with illegals already in the country and a guest-worker program pushed by President Bush.
Under the legislation, illegal aliens in the United States would obtain six-year nonimmigrant visas under which they could work in the country and travel outside the country. The aliens would have to pay a $1,000 fine and undergo background checks.
After six years, the aliens would be able to meet certain requirements and then apply for a green card, or permanent residency.
Besides voting on the bill after the recess, committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said the panel also would vote on a bill by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., that would give illegal aliens up to five years to leave the U.S. After returning home, they could then apply to return, either as temporary workers or for permanent residency.
"Our intention is not to strand anyone outside the country," Kyl said, according to an AP report. But he asserted the McCain-Kennedy plan would give an illegal alien allowed to stay and work in the country a "huge advantage" over a person having to wait for years in his or her own country for a green card.
The McCain-Kennedy bill would start off with offering 400,000 of the new visas.
Two years ago, Bush proposed a guest-worker program that has been criticized by immigration-reform advocates as nothing more than an amnesty program for foreigners who entered the United States illegally.
Kennedy disputed the amnesty charge: "There is no moving to the front of the line, there is no free ticket. This is not amnesty."
Majority Leader Bill Frist has threatened to bring his own immigration bill to the floor of the Senate March 27 if the committee has not approved one.
Who are these people on this committee, can we barrage their offices with phone and email of our disapproval before March 27? Probably won't change their minds, but at least their conscience should be challenged one last time before those whom are supposed to be representatives do something that is not very representative.
I'm hoping the House will stand their ground and not compromise. The 'amnesty' provision, under any other name you want to give it, was NOT in the bill passed by the House.
"how is it a handful of people can make a decision like this for the whole country?"
tail waggin' the dog...
and we waited forty years for this???
G elding
O ld
P arty
All I have to say to the pro open border senators is that the campaign contributor money dries up if they're sent home in the next election cycle.
I went through all the hoops and expense and hassle to bring my wife and kids here legally. All this is is a spit in our face and I will not forget it.
Every republican rino that votes for this abortion of a law needs to be challenged and defeated in their primaries next time they're up for re-election. Hopefully, the house will strip all the amnesty crap out of the bill.
We don't want or need an amnesty for illegal,criminal alians. When will these idiots in both parties get the message. We don't need these parasites sucking the life out of the taxpayers.
They have to get together with the Senate to iron out the differences. I'm hoping the House will not go along with 'amnesty' because every single member is up for re-election this year. Every congressman that votes in favor of letting the illegals stay, hands an excellent campaign issue to his opponent.
If they don't already see it coming, they had better get ready.
This is a complete slap in the face to those people who try to go the legal route to get into the US. Our country needs immigration for economic growth, but people need to go through the proper legal channels. We once enforced that in this country, and US citizenship was something that people all over the world aspired to. Why come legally if you can come illegally and have a better chance at citizenship?
I can always vote 3rd party or democrat. My GOP representative is taking Soros money as it is.
Because WE THE SHEEPLE are allowing it to happen.
It tees me off to no end. You work your butt off for something and try to do what's right. Then someone cheats, crowds ahead in line, and makes everything you've worked for seem to be a waste of time.
I was fortunate enough to have been born here, as are a lot of us, and it came easy for us. Too easy to where we fail to appreciate it. We have to respect the people who come here legally and go by the rules and who, in turn, respect our laws.
If you come into this country and your first act is to break our laws, the 'welcome mat' needs to be pulled right out from under you.
Get the dependents of workers to self deport 1st
They're the ones using up the services.
deal w/ the actual workers separately
Sad, But True-Cornyn and Kennedy Team Up On Guest Worker Amnesty, Sell Out American Workers
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee met to again consider the guest worker amnesty proposal put forward by Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA). No amendments were offered, only discussion of how the committee should proceed. What follows is a summary of today's proceedings.
Sen. Specter (R-PA) opened the discussion by complaining about news coverage disparaging the slow progress of the committee and the fact that in four sessions the committee was unable to agree on even the least controversial provisions of the bill.
Sen. Specter (R-PA) then suggested the committee meet again tomorrow or Monday 27th with the hope of reaching agreement on major issues and changing the majority leader's mind about bringing up an enforcement-only bill on the floor. The members agreed that on such short notice, it was unlikely they could get a quorum tomorrow and decided to meet on March 27th.
Sen. Kyl (R-AZ), while approving of a deadline to pressure the committee to act in a timely fashion, he complained that Majority Leader Frist (R-TN) had gone a bit too far.
Sen. Kyl asked Sen. Grassley (R-IA) if the social security and tax amendments offered earlier could be moved forward in the Finance Committee expeditiously. The Senate Finance Committee claims jurisdiction over these matters and Grassley is the committee chairman.
Sen. Grassley offered that he had directed his Finance Committee staff and his Judiciary Committee staff to work with members on these matters.
Sen. Specter asked Grassley if these matters, once resolved, could be taken up in the Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Grassley responded that he had not yet decided, but that with the agreement of 11 members of the Finance Committee, he would consent to a floor amendment on these matters which would be managed by the Finance Committee.
Sen. Specter (R-PA), as he has during previous sessions, voiced his view that it would be unfair to allow those who are currently present in the U.S. illegally to jump in line in front of those who were patiently applying for their green cards through legal channels.
Sen. Durbin (R-IL) asked that there be a vote on the McCain-Kennedy amnesty guest worker program as a substitute amendment for the Specter amnesty guest worker program.
Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) replied that the good work of the committee should not be effectively rejected by taking up McCain-Kennedy and that the committee should focus on the guest worker program, but not the amnesty.
Sens. Schumer (D-NY) and Durbin argued that the committee needed to decide where it stood regarding "path to citizenship" for illegal aliens-amnesty.
Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) was recognized by Chairman Specter to make a statement on a possible compromise. He gave an impassioned speech on the need for amnesty to bring illegal aliens out of the shadows. He asserted that the McCain-Kennedy bill would not let illegal aliens jump the line, because it required them to wait 6 years for green card status.
Sen. Kyl (R-AZ) rebutted the Kennedy argument by pointing out that allowing illegal aliens to stay and work in the U.S. for 6 years while awaiting their green cards was tantamount to giving them a green card at the outset.
Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) agreed with Sen. Kyl and argued that the Cornyn-Kyl amnesty guest worker bill is superior to McCain-Kennedy amnesty guest worker program and is not an amnesty.
Sen. Durbin (D-IL) asserted that McCain-Kennedy did not let people jump the line and called it "tough, but fair."
Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) asked Kennedy about the background checks required by his bill and indicated she did not believe DHS could complete all the background checks under his bill.
Sen. Brownback (R-KS) commented that deferred mandatory departure in the Cornyn-Kyl bill also allowed aliens to remain in the country.
Sen. Kyl (R-AZ) replied by saying that while this is true, illegal aliens were not given the same legal status as under the McCain-Kennedy bill.
Sen. Specter (R-PA) announced that the committee would meet again on March 27 at 10:00 a.m. for another session to try and reach agreement on an amnesty guest worker bill.
Sen. Specter announced that there would be votes on a McCain-Kennedy amnesty guest worker program substitute amendment and a Cornyn-Kyl amnesty guest worker program substitute amendment to the Specter amnesty guest worker program proposal.
Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) inquired of Sen. Kennedy why the definition of guest worker in his bill didn't include agricultural workers.
Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) replied by saying Sen. Larry Craig's AgJobs amnesty guest worker bill covered these workers and suggested that the bill would be offered as a floor amendment.
Sen. Specter (R-PA) announced just before ending the session that Sens. Cornyn and Kennedy had reached a tentative agreement on a guest worker program that would allow workers to stay for 2 years, go home for 1 year, and then return for 6 years. The annual number would be capped at 400,000. Specter asserted that this agreement had 9 firm votes of the 18 members of the committee.
I know it is a mute point and nobody is listening but a citizen is first and formost in a country,city or town legaly; registered & on the tax rolls paying income taxes, paying payroll taxes including Social Security (LIVING) in a permanent residence with mamasita & papasita and all the nina's and nino's under one roof in the city where they live and work.
This way they can enjoy the blessings of paying as they go all the required taxes we (ALL) are obliged to pay so we can share equally all the benefits of living free. Of course the Congress is planning a midnight surprise on the "LEGAL CITIZENS" you know the ones I mean the ones who always get stuck with the bills!
If this is what the Senate and the Congress have in mind for us "Blood will flow in the Streets", because the people are fed up with all this and will not abide the consequences even if every politician from the "TOP" down has to be impeached and thrown out of office because they refuse to service properly to office they are elected and charged with supporting as to the "Will of The People"!
(and that suggestion is only partially tongue-in-cheek)
(click to download a full sheet of regular size 'bills')
Along with some of my own "Release the full Barrett Report" bills.
If every FReeper replied to all GOP demands for money the same way for just one week, this nonsense would come to a screeching halt.
I have always laughed at the charade that you go through now at customs and immigration when you return to the USA at any international airport. They're pretty hard core, even on US citizens, which makes you think that they're actually doing something. However, the actual southern border remains absolutely wide open, and once you sneak in, you're given even more benefits, like in-state tuition in some states. All it takes for anyone with any brains at all to realize that if you want to come to the US illegally, you don't go through an airport, but instead hire a coyote to bring you across in the Arizona desert. Then you're well on your way to becoming an American, even though you've passed many people in line who have applied for green cards or visas numerous times at embassies in their home countries and have been turned down. The whole thing is a joke.
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