Immigration Bill Taking Shape in Senate
WASHINGTON - Supporters of immigration legislation are predicting they will pass a Senate bill giving millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
Critics of the legislation aren't giving up, saying they'll continue to try to reshape it.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (news, bio, voting record), R-Ala., planned to offer an amendment that would erect more fencing along the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border, an idea similar to one passed in December by the House.
But in a win for supporters, what had been considered a poison pill provision before Easter was softened Tuesday by two of the bill's biggest critics and the defeats of two other proposals considered killer amendments left bill supporters smelling victory.
"Those of us who are working to try to pull people together toward the middle and a comprehensive immigration reform package will succeed," said Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.
The Senate was to continue working on the bill Wednesday.
The bill authorizes additional spending on border security, a guest worker program, an eventual opportunity at citizenship for most of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the country and tougher enforcement of laws prohibiting hiring of illegal workers. Senate passage appears likely by Memorial Day.
Opponents of granting legal status to most of the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants planned other amendments but said the big fight will occur when negotiators try to merge the Senate bill with the House's enforcement-only legislation.
"Ultimately we all understand where this bill is going to be written. It's going to be written in the conference committee between the House and the Senate," Sen. John Cornyn (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, said.
House Republicans remained unyielding in their opposition to legalization.
"Thinly veiled attempts to promote amnesty cannot be tolerated,' said Rep. Tom Price of Georgia. "While America is a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws, and rewarding those who break our laws not only dishonors the hard work of those who came here legally but does nothing to fix our current situation."
Bill backers defeated two amendments that would have gutted the Senate bill. In votes that crossed party lines, the Senate rejected 55-40 a requirement that the border be secured before other immigration changes are made. They also voted 69-28 to scuttle a Democratic amendment to exclude foreigners and recent illegal immigrants from a new guest worker program.
The Senate also approved on a voice vote an amendment reducing the number of foreigners who could participate in the guest worker program annually from at least 325,000 to no more than 200,000. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., also won approval for his proposal to add 1,000 more Border Patrol agents this year, 100 helicopters and 250 power boats.
President Bush gave the debate momentum by announcing in a prime-time speech Monday a plan to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops to southwestern border states to support the Border Patrol.
The proposal to use Guard troops in the four states bordering Mexico drew mixed reaction in Congress. Pentagon officials insisted the duty would not overtax the guard or interfere with preparations for combat, but some in Congress worried it would stretch the Guard too thin."
The only hope of stopping amnesty, it seems, will be with the House.
Does this mean that my focus should be on e-mailing and calling those in the House who will be directly responsible for holding firm on Sensenbrenner's bill?
No, not at all. While we certainly want to continue to voice our opposition of the senate bill to those who support our position we still need more votes. Pressure on all of them and don't forget to thank those who are holding steady(at least seem to be) on enforcement first. We would prefer outright victory with the senate on board. Or Committee Senators who will work hard to align with the house once it gets to committee. Otherwise it seems that we are heading for an ultimate stalemate. Which is not preferable but not a defeat either. We need to hammer home the flow has got to stop NOW. The idea we can't stop the flow without "reform" is an outright lie. Thousands cross every day. Even with the NG down there. The guard will have some effect but the flow will continue. Every Day! 1000's. Every Day!
Why are they so against securing the border first?
Is it as simple as Senator Dorgren's explanation of sending high paying jobs to other countries and importing by every illegal method possible low wage workers?
This only benefits big business and screws the middle and low income Americans.
We said yesterday it looked as if they were going to pull it off watching them
The only hope of stopping amnesty, it seems, will be with the House.
AMEN!