Senate Panel Approves Immigration Bill

AP on Yahoo ^ | 3/27/06 | David Espo - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee approved election-year immigration legislation Monday that clears the way for millions of undocumented workers to seek U.S. citizenship without having to first leave the country.

After days of street demonstrations that stretched from California to the gounds of the U.S. Capitol, the committee also voted to strip out proposed criminal penalties for residents found to be in this country illegally.

The panel's vote cleared the way for the full Senate to begin debate Tuesday on the emotional immigration issue.

"All Americans wanted fairness and they got it this evening," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), the Massachusetts Democrat who played a pivotal role in drafting the legislation, approved 12-6.

Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., voted for the bill but signaled that some of the provisions could well be changed by the full Senate.

In general, the bill is designed to strengtehn border patrol, create new opportunities for so-called guest workers and determine the legal future of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

At several critical popints, committee Democrats were united while Republicans splintered. In general, GOP Sens. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, Sam Brownback of Kansas and Mike DeWine of Ohio, who is seeking re-election this fall, sided with Democrats.

That gave Democrats a majority that allowed them to shape the bill to their liking.

[Sam the Sham]

Good for you.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Here we go again -- I disagreed with Dane on another thread today and he called me a hispanic bigot, too... that's the new mantra.

[Dane]

You'll be happy to know you helped kill 2 people last month. But, hey, who cares about closed hospitals if Dane's liberal, open borders, mind can sleep better at night knowing he has helped the lower classes with everyone's BUT his wallet

You are truly loony, also your looniness how come you don't cite the people who are closing down and putting the hospitals out of business, the trial lawyers.

[DoughtyOne]

What you forgot to mention was this. Reagan was told there were 1 million illegal immgrants in country, and that the border and jobs situation would be tightened up to prevent illegal immigration becoming a problem again.

If the tenets of that bill had been enforced, yes, we wouldn't have the situation we have today.

Beyond that, the 1 million Reagan was assured were in country, turned into 3.5 million by the end of 1988,9.

We are being assured today, that this we are about to get the ultimate fix. We are told that there are about 11 million illegal immigrants in country. Within three years of the guest worker/amnesty provisions (if there actually are any in the final bill) are passed, between 20 and 30 million illegal immigrants will register.

I've been burned once with big promises. By God, I'm not supid enough to sucker for anothe pie-in-the-sky fix.

As a citizen of the U.S. I have a right to demand my leaders get their heads out of their posteriors and stop this invasion today! Furthermore, I don't want one single illegal immigrant rewarded for breaking out laws by coming here, and breaking out laws daily since then to work here.

Drop kick their arses south of the border and build a massive wall to end this once and for all.

Frankly, a ten to twenty year moratorium on legal immigration is warranted at this time.

[NapkinUser]

Democrats and RINOs like Bush, Graham and DeWine.....bringing the third world a little closer to home.

[abner]

Tax revolt comes to mind...

[Borax Queen]

LOL! Teddy turned pink.

Kyl is a real man - unlike most of the others on that committee. And while I personally support no "guest worker program" at the present time, at least when Kyl speaks, he is speaking up for Americans. Teddy just doesn't want to lose his maids and gardeners.

[Flux Capacitor]

----Too bad the President does not have the power of the veto....----

When the 44th President comes into office and casts his/her first veto on whatever, the media's going to go beserk and call it a "power grab". And why not? After eight years without one, we'll all have forgotten that the veto was a constitutionally-prescribed power in the first place.

Not that Bush would ever oppose Kennedy/McCain in the first place. But considering that this president would sign a leaf if it blew across his desk, it's hard to say for sure what he really believes in.

-Dan

[Dane]

I told Kyle's office a few months ago I thought Kyle should run for President that he could win hands-down

The Senator's name is "Kyl".

But I guess you are not lying in a clintonian type of way. You could have called "Kyle's" office.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

"All Americans wanted fairness and they got it this evening..."

The people you are referring to who wanted your Socialist interpretation of "fairness" are not Americans, you lying SOS.

[kerryusama04]

I live in in the KC Metro (on the MO side). Brownback is really disappointing his constituents who call into talk radio these days.

[jragan2001]

Folks, we are seeing a chilling reminder of what may be yet to come for this country (re: the weekend protests). What is so twisted is we have ILLEGALS protesting in masses in the streets, yet at the same time many Americans are too interested in what happens on the basketball courts with the NCAA tournament. People, it is time to wake up and pay attention to what is going on in this country of ours! This type of madness that is happening in our streets is a chilling reminder of what happened on the streets of South Africa in the 1980's when the then-outlawed African National Congress terrorized citizens by fire-bombing select locations and killing innocent people in the process and kept the intimidating going and going until the National Party gave in, and now today, South Africa is a hotbed for farm murders, rape, and illegal land seizures.

Wake up America!! This country is falling into the "rabbit hole" of morass and this must stop. Maybe it's time for a "march on Washington" by the thousands to tell our spineless President and the anti-American Senate where to stick it.

[hershey]

If they think this will stop or even slow illegal immigration, they're nuts. Positive reinforcement means more will come, and it's not 11 million. It's more like 24 million. They can't even be honest about that. Meanwhile Mexico is being depopulated, which has serious consequences.

[Arizona Carolyn]

I heard yesterday Hillary hired Col. Hunt. Can you imagine that?

[Dane]

Democrats and RINOs like Bush, Graham and DeWine.....bringing the third world a little closer to home

Uh and where did President Bush as a Senator vote on this bill?

LOL, you guys in your total Bush hatred almost make the DUmmies look like pussy cats.

[savedbygrace]

Not just no, but hell no.

We are being invaded and our own government is leading cheers for the invaders.

[SUSSA]

GOP Sens. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, Sam Brownback of Kansas and Mike DeWine of Ohio, who is seeking re-election this fall, sided with Democrats.

These scumbags need to be defeated.

[DoughtyOne]

I may be wrong, but I think Putin could have been brought along better than he was. We should have been the ones dealing with him and not the Chinese. If we would have sent 1/10th of the trade to Russia that we did to openly anti-US China, I think we could have made Russia a much more friendly nation. I have held a wait and see attitude with Putin. I don't like what I see these days, but I haven't seen us try to curry favor with Russia either. It's a tough topic.

As for supporting Putin blindly, I think you are absolutely right.

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

I did not say you were anti-American. I was referring to Republican elected officials. We all should really get out of this Sean Hannity style "Democrats versus Republcians" nonsense. It is either conservative or it is not. This is party neutral, and again, the list of anti-American Republican elected officials is as long as it has ever been.

The GOP does NOT represent conservatives anymore. Neither the RATs nor the GOP represent conservatives.