Posted on 04/11/2006 4:43:58 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
GOP Chiefs Don't Want Immigrants Charged
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 29 minutes ago
The two top Republicans in Congress, confronted with internal party divisions as well as large public demonstrations, said Tuesday they intend to pass immigration legislation that does not subject illegal aliens to prosecution as felons.
A written statement by Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, did not say whether they would seek legislation subjecting illegal immigrants to misdemeanor prosecution or possibly a civil penalty such as a fine.
"It remains our intent to produce a strong border security bill that will not make unlawful presence in the United States a felony," the two men said. An estimated 11 million men, women and children are in the United States illegally.
The Republican-controlled House passed legislation late last year that is generally limited to border security measures. It makes illegal immigrants subject to felony prosecution.
Senate efforts to write a broader bill covering border security, a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million in the country illegally are gridlocked with lawmakers on a two-week vacation.
Frist has said he intends to bring the issue back to the Senate floor, although he stopped short of a flat commitment and the prospects for passage of an election-year immigration bill are uncertain.
The late-afternoon statement by the top GOP leaders in both houses came after days of large street demonstrations by protestors opposed to criminal penalties for illegal immigrants.
Additionally, in a Washington Post-ABC News poll published during the day, only 20 percent of those questioned said they favored declaring illegal immigrants to be felons
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The Republican Party is bound to call for a donation.
When I'm done with the caller, they'll never call back.
Never.
Hey, as the saying goes, I haven't the GOP, they left me!
Whatever legislation we pass needs to:
1- close the border now.
2- make jobs impossible to get without real ID.
3- make benefits impossible to get without real ID.
4- make hiring illegals more expensive than hiring Americans (hefty fines).
5- provide an expedited, streamlined deportation process.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Can't handle ALL of them at once?
Well, I tell you what. Just handle the ones you CAN handle, OK? Why must it be ALL or NONE?
What BOGUS "logic"!
Reminds of of a line from that movie where Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder are hauled before the judge, who hands down some hard-time sentence, like maybe 20 years or so. Pryor has a fit, says Twenty years? I can't do twenty years! There's NO way I can possibly do THAT much time!
The judge replies, oh, you can't do that much time? Pryor says No, your honor, I just can't do it! The judge answers, Well then, I tell you what. You just do as much of it as you can. He then bangs his gavel and they get hauled off to the pokey.
See the parallel?
"We can't handle TWENTY MILLION of them!" LOL
PS:
It hardly matters what "I want", or what you want, or what any of us want. We're gonna get what THEY want. It's THEIR store, we only pay their wages!
And as to the "problems" you forsee with enforcing felony charges, LOL! It wouldn't be any harder than enforcing the CURRENT laws! (In other words, they won't enforce it, so who CARES what it says?)
Even if the ARE felons though, I don't want them here in our prisons...I want them OUT. They can be felons in some other country. IMHO.
See above (my two prior posts)
There's still time for us all to hurry down to Mexico, and then enter the USA illegally. Once here, we can get fraudulent docs proving we've BEEN here all along.
Don't you just LOVE it when the lunatics are running the nuthouse?
Well I for one care what is says, because a feel-good law that won't be enforced is worse than doing nothing.
I feel like I am on a sinking ship. The last life boat jest left without me. The captain of the life boat says look, we will take this keg of beer and come back and get you. I, being naive and trusting, say ok.
Water is up to my shins and I am thinking I hope they come back soon... when the light goes on.
Its not that these people dont have a clue, its just tha they dont care.
Frist has said he intends to bring the issue back to the Senate floor, although he stopped short of a flat commitmentWow! I'm impressed. Frist intends to do something, but he is not committed to do it.
Is he gonna do it or not? Is he gonna bring up the immigration issue back to the Senate or not?
Frist makes Lott looks like He-man
LOL! You forgot the Cholo maids who clean Frist condo in Ft Lauderdale. Frist is scared of cleaning his own place.
It's violating labor laws, tax laws, document fraud, welfare fraud, driving laws (you drove a car without a license and insurance for 5 years?), a whole laundry list of felonies that already exist on the books.Good points. Have your ever asked that question to our Congress critters? I'm curious to see how they will try to wiggle out of that one.Do the Spineless Ones propose to issue a blanket amnesty for all the rest of us who may have fractured a few of these laws, or are we held to a different standard than the average criminal alien?
Como se dicé, "Falta de Huevos"? Because it's totally appropriate in this case.
A woman in Phoenix quoted on ABC radio ( ! ) yesterday had it right (a Mrs. Marquez, who was described as a citizen): "What about all the poor people in Mexico who are so afraid of breaking American laws that they didn't come here illegally? The people who came here missed some basic things that you learn in Kindergarten, like getting in line" - maybe not the exact quote, but close. I was amazed to hear that on ABC...This lady makes an excellent point. Nevertheless, I would like to submit that there is also another side to the story.
The line jumpers belong to a self-selected group of people who are driven. They have what it takes to become entrepreneurs and succeed in a capitalist society.
My high school friends who had small scraps with the law and were borderline delinquents are now successful business owners. The passive types, always-do-their-homework students, are doing well as middle class professionals working for the "C" students. The "average" students were driven and willing to take risks; the marketplace rewards those types generously.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.