Posted on 03/28/2006 9:45:48 AM PST by VU4G10
WASHINGTON -- Immigrant supporters claimed their first major victory since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks after a bipartisan group of senators approved legislation that would give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship.
"It's a big day for us. We may not have a lot of big days, but this is a big day," Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, a pro-immigrant group, said after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a package of immigration and border security measures Monday.
Restaurant owners, agricultural groups, Democrats and others who had been pushing for a way for immigrants to earn legal permanent residency - the first step to citizenship - also claimed victory.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said he hoped President Bush, who advocates a so-called guest worker program, would participate in efforts to fashion consensus legislation.
For his part, President Bush said he was determined to see some provision made on behalf of illegal immigrants who have been working in this country.
Bush said that no one should discount his ability to get a new immigration bill from Congress despite his struggles with lawmakers in the past year. "Don't underestimate me," Bush told Mexican and Canadian reporters in an interview Monday.
The president is insisting that Congress send him a bill that not only strengthens U.S. borders, but also allows foreigners to have a guest permit that lets them work temporarily in the United States in low-paying jobs. "It's a humane way to deal with people who are making a contribution to our economy," he said.
The bill's next step is the full Senate, where Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is negotiating with other senators on how to handle the committee's bill and his own proposal, which focuses more on punishing employers who hire undocumented workers.
"The situation along our Southern borders now ranks as a national security challenge, second only to the war on terror," Frist said Monday. "Every day thousands of people violate our frontiers."
Frist said the Senate will begin a debate on immigration later this week with the aim of passing a bill by April 7. The debate will give Americans a glimpse of two candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008: Frist and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., an architect of the bill approved by the Judiciary Committee.
McCain said the turnouts in the hundreds of thousands - particularly among Hispanics - at recent rallies in Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington helped galvanize support for the bill.
"I'd like to point out that a lot of these young people are children and grandchildren of people who came here illegally who are citizens themselves who don't want their grandmother sent back to Guadalajara," McCain said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."
McCain acknowledged that there were "sharp divisions" within the Republican Party over the approach to illegal immigration. Despite Bush's support for letting illegal immigrants with jobs avoid deportation, many Republicans vow to prevent what they say amounts to amnesty from becoming law.
In general, the Judiciary Committee's bill is designed to strengthen enforcement of U.S. borders, regulate the flow into the country of guest workers and determine the legal future of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.
The bill would double the Border Patrol and authorize a "virtual wall" of unmanned vehicles, cameras and sensors to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border. It also would allow more visas for nurses and agriculture workers, and shelter humanitarian organizations from prosecution if they provide non-emergency assistance to illegal residents.
The most contentious provision would permit illegal aliens currently in the country to apply for citizenship without first having to return home, a process that would take at least six years. They would have to pay a fine, learn English, study American civics, demonstrate they had paid their taxes and take their place behind other applicants for citizenship, according to aides to Kennedy, D-Mass., who was instrumental in drafting the legislation.
Kennedy credited the "faith community" for building support for a guest worker program.
The Judiciary Committee also approved a five-year plan to provide visas for about 1.5 million agriculture workers and allow them to eventually seek legal residency.
Recent polls show that about six in 10 Americans oppose letting illegal immigrants remain in the country and apply for citizenship and three of every four don't believe the government is doing enough to stem the continuing tide of new arrivals.
"For years, the government has turned a blind eye to illegal aliens who break into this country," said Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo. Tancredo helped lead the fight for a bill the House passed in December that would define illegal immigrants as felons, build fences across a third of the U.S-Mexican border and enlist local police and the military to help patrol it.
Soon after assuming the presidency, Bush called for measures to provide businesses with a reliable immigrant work force. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks he put aside negotiations with Mexico on a guest worker program. Mexican President Vicente Fox, with whom Bush meets this week in Cancun, had hoped his friendship with the former Texas governor would lead to legal status for Mexicans working illegally in the U.S.
Any bill produced by the Senate would have to be reconciled with the House measure. Despite Bush's support for letting illegal immigrants with jobs avoid deportation, many Republicans vow to prevent what they say amounts to amnesty from becoming law.
"I will oppose amnesty at all stages," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who was on the losing side of Monday's 12-6 vote by the Judiciary Committee. He said Congress "made a mistake in 1986" by granting amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants "and now we have 12 million."
It's 25M if it's 12M.
We done been had. And by Republicans.
Illegals. Send them home, wherever that is.
It's 25M if it's 12M.
We done been had. And by Republicans.
Just 3 in the Senate
...and just where did this "genius" plan to incarcerate 12 million illegals? In a current prison system where two million are said to be presently occupying 98 percent of the available space behind bars, no doubt?
"The situation along our Southern borders now ranks as a national security challenge, second only to the war on terror," Frist said Monday. "Every day thousands of people violate our frontiers."
Frist said the Senate will begin a debate on immigration later this week with the aim of passing a bill by April 7. The debate will give Americans a glimpse of two candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008: Frist and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., an architect of the bill approved by the Judiciary Committee.
GIVE EM' HELL SENATOR FRIST BUMP!
I think the idea is that the threat will cause them to return to Meheco.
Is that possible under the law?
I have been trying to understand all sides in this dispute and so far, I have not seen anywhere in the law that makes illegal presence grounds for removal.
Any lawyers here who could point me to the relevent statutes?
We have to chip away at the problem and deport them as they are captured. If you thing the relatively straight forward task of deportation is unfeasible please explain how the Bill that emerged from the Senate Judiciary will be implemented. Who will monitor the intake and registering of illegals, who will teach them english, and so on, and so on...
If the senate goes forward and passes a bill that grants amnesty (they'll call it something else, but EVERYONE knows what it is) and the house rolls over sending it to Senor W, Republicans can kiss their legislative majority goodbye.
This Republican will be voting Constitution Party, by and large, this November.
Owl_Eagle
(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
NO AMNESTY, NO GUEST-WORKER PROGRAM, SEND THEM ALL BACK - ALL 12 Million, and BUILD A WALL.
Got to keep it simple, because they're pretty stupid.
Incarcerate? You didn't get the plan? We march them back across the border, lease planes to fly them home and generally do any damn thing that it takes to make sure they see their HOME COUNTRIES with their very own eyes.
The sellout to globalism is almost complete, this bill will be the final blow, after this bill passes the USA will be toast. Our leaders are either cowards or traitors or both.
The great American ideal that all men are created equal under the eyes of God and the law was struck a sever blow today by the members of the Senate committee.
Half flew in and then overstayed their visas. These will be expensive to deport. Not an easy problem to solve.
Yep.
They should not be incarcerated. they could be put in chain gangs and put to work building the border fence.
In your dreams, this is just posturing. Nothing will be done, and even if they
pass new legislation, so what? The problem would not exist if current law was enforced.
If the house wants to impeach George Bush, there is a legitimate reason.
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