Posted on 03/27/2006 4:08:50 PM PST by 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.
Congrats on your family being here when the Constitution was written. Lots of the rest got here later.
Citizenship without a price is.....worthless.
Try thinking out of the box, it's not all Bush's fault. It's truely amazing that a free society thinks one guy has that much power over our country. Our founding fathers must have been idiots to give that much power to one person. They didn't want a king, yet, we have a dictator.
I need to head off but I don't see why the steps you outlined could not be rolled out as a single comprehensive reform package.
Not only does that dog not hunt but it didn't get off the porch.
Thanks!! Honestly, it is beyond comprehension how the illegal immigration situation has gotten so out of control. It is also beyond comprehension why Bush is so dead set against enforcing immigration laws already on the books.
Everyone one thinks it's Bush's fault. It's not. He's one guy. We have a gov that specifically rules out a king. It's more the fault of the states and leglislative branch. One guy can't fix this problem, one guy didn't create it. But, many can fix and many did start it.
Wrong. "Love thy neighbor" isn't the FIRST christian value, but, among other things, "love thy neighbor" DOES mean that you can't just go waltzing into your neighbor's country without asking permission!! If you love thy neighbor, you'll respect thy neighbor's laws. If you don't respect his laws, you've no business bloviating about loving thy neighbor, you Hell-bound HYPOCRITES!!!
"America should not have to choose between being a welcoming society and being a lawful society," said the president. "We can be both at the same time."
Mr. President, your implication that we are having to choose between being welcoming and being lawful could not be more in error. America has always been THE MOST welocming nation on Earth to everyone that comes here on the sole provision that they do it LEGALLY!!!! Ergo, we ARE, HAVE BEEN, and shall CONTINUE TO BE, BOTH welcoming AND lawful. By contrast, Mr. President, it is YOU, O Deluded One, who have contrived the fallacy that our insistence that current immigration law be enforced is somehow unwelcoming. By THAT shabby standard, Sir, no professor of anything has a foundation upon which to establish minimum requirements for a passing grade in their class. "Professors should not have to choose between being giving good grades and requiring effort of their students." No, Sir, what you propose, instead, is not welcoming in that hospitable sense you purport to value; in fact it rudely presumes upon the hospitality and good graces of the American people and will result not in welcome, but in resentment, hatred, social strife, crime and class warfare such as has not been seen in this country in it's entire history. The beneficiareis of your stupidity will resent America even more than they already do, and those who came here legally, and those who were born citizens will resent your beneficiaries. Mr. President, your reckless misassessmnts do not set the stage for reform; they douse the landscape with political gasoline in readiness for anyone who will to toss in a match. Pity, that you have not the least idea the fury of the tempest that will be unleashed. If ever your heart beat once with love for this Republic, Sir, STAND DOWN!
We will not have a nation left. We will no longer need these people anyhow. Have you guys been paying attention to the demonstrations??? It is just about over. We have been taken over by a third rate third world country called Mexico... without a shot being fired..
"Everyone one thinks it's Bush's fault."
heh heh.....
In this situation, Bush is the only one with the power to enforce current immigration laws and he has chosen not to. He is the executive - the legislature has already spoken when they crafted the existing immigration laws.
It's up to Bush to enforce them and he has actually encouraged the illegals to ignore them.
This is not one of these cases where someone just wants to blame Bush - this truly is a situation where he is the one in charge of enforcing the laws.
It's not solely a fed issue. Where was Texas or California or New Mexico or Arizona enforcing their state laws? Where were they manning the borders? The states let it get out of control, now it's a fed issue. As with all our country's issues. If the states can handle it, pass the buck. Make it a fed issue, they have more money. A hundred years ago, this wouldn't have been a problem, the state, territority knew how to handle it.
Cute bumper sticker quote.
The Constitution specifically defines the protection of the nation's borders as the duties of the president.
Again, this isn't a case where Bush is trying really hard to solve a problem but it's just overwhelming. Bush actually is encouraging illegal immigration.
I see your english is improving!
Bush is now a dictator? Please, don`t drive and, for the good of the country, no more kids.
More importantly, what he says. It gets printed, not only here, but south of the border too. And you can bet, bags are being backed south of the border as we type.
whatever
Section. 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
...also when States have attempted measures to alleviate the burden of illegal immigration Federal judges have ruled such efforts unconstitutional...
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