Posted on 04/26/2006 12:06:59 AM PDT by SirJohnBarleycorn
President Bush and a group of senators yesterday reached general agreement on an immigration bill that includes a pathway to citizenship for many illegal aliens.
But left out of the closed-door White House meeting were senators who oppose a path to citizenship. The meeting even snubbed two men who had been considered allies of Mr. Bush on immigration -- Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican and chairman of the immigration subcommittee, and Sen. Jon Kyl, Arizona Republican.
Mr. Bush in brief remarks to the press said there was agreement to get "a bill that does not grant automatic amnesty to people, but a bill that says, somebody who is working here on a legal basis has the right to get in line to become a citizen." But senators, speaking afterward, said Mr. Bush was far more specific in the meeting.
"There was a pretty good consensus that what we have put into the Hagel-Martinez proposal here is the right way to go," said Sen. Mel Martinez, Florida Republican. "I think he was very clear [on] pathway to citizenship, so long as it goes to the back of the line, and he even opened the door here for something we've haggled back and forth on, that you can shrink the time for people to become citizens by simply enlarging the number of green cards."
And Sen. Sam Brownback, Kansas Republican, said Mr. Bush "endorsed the concept of an earned citizenship."
That would represent a substantial change on the part of the Bush administration, which just last year said it opposed a path to citizenship for those currently here illegally.
(snip)
Even as Mr. Bush is moving in that direction, the House majority leader yesterday rejected it.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Simply pass a law that imposes a fine of $1 million per incident for anyone found hiring an illegal.
Isn't this foolish politics? How are they going to do this without approval from the house of representatives? Even if they got a squishy bill set in conference committee, the house has to approve that. Not going to happen.
"Isn't this foolish politics?"
Foolish is an understatement.
It's a policy and political disaster waiting to happen.
It's as if Bush has a death wish on the Republican majority.
Frankly, I'm not interested in anything written by Chuck Hagel. This has proven to be no exception.
"I'm not in the habit of patting the president on the back and sending him accolades, but I have to say that this meeting that we just had, I have to pat the president on the back," said Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat. "This was really, I thought, a good, good meeting."
Mr. Cornyn, the immigration subcommittee chairman who was not invited to the meeting, said through a spokesman he didn't see a need to be there.
"Senator Cornyn has been consistent and transparent on where he stands, and on his call for comprehensive reform without amnesty," said Mr. Cornyn's spokesman, Don Stewart. "The president didn't need to convince Senator Cornyn to stop playing politics and blocking votes -- he can save that message for the minority leader."
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the invitees were senators who are leading the fight for a comprehensive bill.
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Bush gets praise by Democrats and is shutting out the conservative Senators standing for the right kind of policies....
UGH.
i wonder if there is any chance to ask for a SCOTUS review of this on groumds that it penalizes legal applicants for citizenship and rewards illegals with a path to citizenship?
Hopefully his betrayal of Office and Country will be thwarted by more patriotic men in the House of Reps.
Cutting a deal with the devil?
We all knew bush was weak on the immigration issue, but I never thought he was this irresponsible.
How the man can be so right on the war on terror and so stunningly wrong on protecting the homeland from a cultural and economic invasion is frankly beyond me.
We ALREADY have a One Million Dollar Fine....
It's called a LAWSUIT...
It's what you get if you dare ask a hispanic to verify the documents they present, and they ARE legal......
Yes, I am very disappointed.
I'm not sure what "conservative agenda" he's referring to. I'm sending it back telling the RNC that my "gift" will go to those who know what conservatism is.
If the employer is unethical he can rehire the guy with a new name and SS# and it will be another 18 mos before it is caught IF IT IS CAUGHT AT ALL and unless they have proof that the employer knew that the guy (remember new name and SS#) there is nothing they can do.
In the meantime, during the Clinton administration the INS went around trying to punish people for not filling the I9s out correctly while letting the illegals pour across the border. Illegal immigration hasn't ceased but the INS isn't bugging legal employers to get fines anymore.
My brother is here at my place and has a lot of time and he gets up early every morning looking for illegals so he can call the BP. I don't know if they catch them but he's having a blast.
Simply pass a law that imposes a fine of $1 million per incident for anyone found hiring an illegal."
You do realize that of the 12 million illegal aliens, about 4 million of them do *NOT* work.
The same people would "enforce" those fines. You could make them 100 billion. What's the point if nobody actually does the employer investigations and sanctions?
Build the fence.
I voted for GWB twice, supported him in the war, have disagreed on many of his policies....but this is the last straw. Total open doors and amnesty is a disaster!
Bush needs to resign immediately or face impeachment for failing to secure our country.
I realize I may be banned from FR now.
<< You do realize that of the 12 million illegal aliens, about 4 million of them do *NOT* work. >>
And we are sheltering and feeding a huge number that reside in our prisons. WE are working for THEM.
Enforce the laws that already on the books! If the job market dries up for illegals, they'll go home. Anything less and we'll KNOW that our government does NOT represent us and ALL should be impeached!
(Not a bad idea...to start anew with politicians who are willing to work for us.)
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