Posted on 03/29/2006 7:22:57 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The Senate opened debate on an election-year immigration bill Wednesday, and leading Republicans swiftly clashed over whether the legislation would amount to amnesty for millions of illegal residents in the United States.
The legislation "goes too far in granting illegal immigrants with what most Americans will see as amnesty," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, the first to speak on the bill. "I disagree with this approach ... because granting amnesty now will only encourage further and further disrespect for the law."
Moments later, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, bluntly rebutted his fellow Republican. "I want to disagree with him head on. It is not amnesty," he said. Specter said illegal residents would have to be current on their taxes, undergo background checks and clear other obstacles before gaining a place on a "citizenship track."
The disagreement underscored not only the divisions within the Senate, but the extent to which the fate of 11 million illegal immigrants has come to dominate the issue. Adding a fresh layer of political complexity, Hispanics make up a fast-growing segment of the electorate and have demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands in recent days in opposition to punitive legislation.
In general, the bill under consideration in the Senate is designed to strengthen enforcement of U.S. borders, regulate the flow into the country of so-called guest workers and determine the legal future of the illegal population scattered across all 50 states.
The House has passed legislation limited to border enforcement. Republican leaders have signaled in recent days they are receptive to an expanded measure, and immigration has taken on added importance for the GOP in the run-up to midterm elections.
"We are not going to discount anything right now," House Speaker Dennis Hastert said several hours before the Senate debate opened. "Our first priority is to protect the borders. We also know there is a need in some sectors of this economy for a guest worker program," added the Illinois Republican.
President Bush has urged Congress to approve legislation that strengthens border security and contains enforcement at the workplace and a temporary guest worker program.
"There are people doing jobs Americans will not do," Bush told reporters Wednesday. "Many people who have come into our country are helping our economy grow. That's just a fact of life."
Specter shepherded legislation through the Judiciary Committee on Monday on a vote of 12-6. The outcome was unusual in the Republican-controlled Senate since there were more GOP committee members against the measure than voting in favor.
The Pennsylvania Republican said at the time he would continue to seek agreement on changes, and he repeated his remarks on the Senate floor. "If there is a better way to bring these 11 million people forward so that we can identify them, we are open to any suggestions which anyone may have," he said.
Frist and Specter were not the only lawmakers to address the issue of amnesty, an emotionally charged label that political candidates all hope to avoid.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record) of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, sided with the panel's chairman. "Opponents of a fair, comprehensive approach are quick to claim that anything but the most punitive provisions are amnesty. They are wrong," he said.
But Sen. Jeff Sessions (news, bio, voting record), R-Alabama, was quick to counter. "The truth is this bill is amnesty," he said, adding that if others insist on saying otherwise, "we'll keep talking about it every day this week."
The legislation that cleared committee would double the Border Patrol and allow for a virtual wall of unmanned vehicles, cameras and sensors to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border. It also calls for detention facilities for an additional 10,000 immigrants who may face deportation.
The committee voted down proposed criminal penalties on immigrants found to be in the country illegally.
The bill would establish a temporary program for up to 1.5 million farm workers who are in the country illegally, giving them an opportunity to achieve legal status.
Separately, it creates a new guest worker program for would-be immigrants, allowing them to enter the country under a three-year visa, renewable for another three years, then apply for legal permanent residence without leaving the United States. The program would initially be open to 400,000 individuals a year, a figure to be adjusted annually based on the labor market.
Works for me.
both sides of this argument is moronic.
nobody is asking the the questions:
Will these illegals come in from the cold ?
If not, now what ?
If Bin Laddie can slip in these T-Buckets will make him a citizen too. Muchas Gracias all you S.O.Bs.
Like they were actually going to do that any way.
Mostly, this issue can be finessed. The "centerpiece" of the law should not be phrased as the guest worker process (which actually is pretty strict).
The centerpiece should be border security. Think about this, if the influx is stopped, all illegals currently in the US can't visit family in Mexico. This should not be underestimated in its impact on families. An illegal whose parents die cannot attend the funeral because he would not be allowed back in -- unless he jumped through those hoops of the other part of the law.
This can work, but only if BORDER SECURITY is the emphasis and strict guest worker provisions become distinctly and emphatically secondary.
It looks like amnesty, sounds like amnesty and smells like amnesty.
Just how in the hell do they think they can stop hordes of illegals without a fence.
160,000 per month are getting through in Arizona alone.
A 10,000 person detention center needs to be a little larger.
I think before we debate about what to do with those here already we should plug the hole to stop new ones from coming. Then we can discuss what to do with the 12 million already here. Let's stop the leak before we bail out the water. I blame Bush for this. He had insisted all along that he will do nothing about the borders until we accept those coming here for work. This is MORONIC!
http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalLinks.html
and - only if employers are forced to hire from within the structure of the guest worker program. so long as employers have jobs for the totally undocumented, and face no sanctions when caught, people will cross the border to fill those jobs. that's where the whole guest worker program collapses - we'll end up with a two tier system - the illegals we have now, PLUS a new set of guest workers hired into legitimate businesses. its the worst possible outcome, the status quo is better.
I admire our President, and I believe he is good for our country. But President Bush is killing his approval rating with support for legalizing those who have already broken our laws.
Absolutely. The Republicans are trying to stop a leak without shutting off the water and they are going to get soaked.
Muleteam1
Don't be too tough on our Arlen. Remember, he still believes in the magic bullet in Dallas. No wonder he doesn't think this BS is amnesty.
agreed. plug the freaking leak first.
The point being, guest workers will fly. The base can accept a strict guest worker program, but the centerpiece must be BORDER SECURITY with all the major emphasis, and funding, on it.
Muleteam1
If these clowns don't most of whom are lawyers and all of whom are legislators and have lawyers on their staffs don't know what amnesty is then they are just plain liars.
Any law that does not make the illegals leave the United States in essence rewards their illegal activity and is an amnesty. Why should those that broke the law get to stay and get guest worker visas when those that didn't break the law don't? Logic says you reward the law abiding aliens with any guest worker visas and penalize those that broke the law by putting them at the back of the line, certainly not ahead of those who followed the law!
Sheesh....a second grader sees the fallacy in their thinking. All we have to do is say applications are acepted only outside of the US. Sure some will decide to stay but then they can be sorted out because of the new enforcement provisions! They will self deport if they know the rules and realize there will be no amnesty. First one back home will be first in line for the new visas...
Imagine the head of the Judiciary Committee Spector saying this is not amnesty. Is this guy on drugs? does he believe what he says or just think we will swallow more of his imaginary magic facts?
Savage is right they should be brought up on charges of treason.
Leahy says we can'd deport 11 million illegal aliens. This is a member of the judiciary Committe with this defeatest attitude. How do we enforce other laws? We make the penalties not worth the risk of the reward.
I say we must try before we say we can't, something we have yet to do. How about fining a few hundred empoyers, stick a few in jail and a few thousand illegal aliens in jail for 6 months and see how many run home? Use the carrot of guest worker visas after enforcement is in place The senate is foolishly putting the cart before the horse.
Jeff Sessions is too good for the United States Senate.
We need more like Jeff Sessions in the Senate and if some of the states with the most whiners on here about Republicans would elect good conservatives like Sessions instead of the numbskulls from CA and WA and NY etc. in the Senate, we would be much better off.
Those of us with good conservative Senators are getting irritated at those who whine on here about Republicans and are from blue states with blue Senators. Don't blame the rest of us who have elected conservative Senators, go look in the mirror and get out to work to elect conservatives instead of throwing in the towel and declaring they won't vote again for a Republican.
I'm thinking that even the 20 million figure is low...
after ya wrap in all the grandpas and grandmas and cousins and farm animals, it's easily twice that.
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