Posted on 05/25/2006 2:46:41 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Legislation offering millions of illegal immigrants a chance at U.S. citizenship moved to the brink of Senate passage Thursday, a rare reach across party lines and a triumph for President Bush.
Majority Leader Bill Frist called for swift talks with the House, which has passed its own version, in what loomed as an arduous search for compromise.
Underscoring bipartisan support in the Senate, Frist, R-Tenn., and Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced in advance they would support the measure. It was months in the drafting and narrowly survived several brushes with disaster across more than a week of debate.
The legislation calls for stronger border security, a new guest worker program and most controversially provisions giving many of the illegal immigrants in the country an eventual chance to become citizens. Another provision would establish a new system to verify the legal status of workers, and punish employers who knowingly hire illegal laborers.
Conservatives attacked the bill to the end after trying unsuccessfully to pick it apart with amendments.
"This bill will not secure our borders," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (news, bio, voting record), R-Ala., one of the most persistent critics.
"This is amnesty," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La., who tried last week to strip out provisions relating to citizenship.
Together, Sessions and Vitter echoed the views of numerous House Republicans, many of whom have vigorously denounced the Senate bill as well as Bush's call for a "comprehensive approach" to the issue.
That portended difficult compromise talks in the shadow of midterm elections, at a time when Bush's poll ratings are low, congressional Republicans are concerned and Democrats are increasingly optimistic about their chances at the polls.
For now, supporters of the Senate bill said they intended to savor their victory. Peppered with questions about the compromise talks ahead, Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said, "I'm going to celebrate here."
The House bill, which passed on a largely party-line vote last year, is generally limited to border enforcement. It would make all illegal immigrants subject to felony charges and it contains no provision for either a new temporary worker program or citizenship for men, women and children in the country unlawfully.
Frist said compromise talks should begin swiftly.
"I think it is important on this issue with millions of people coming across our borders illegally, not knowing who they are, where they are going or why they are coming," he said.
In contrast to the House measure, the Senate bill would mark the most far-reaching changes in immigration law in two decades. Built on compromise after painstaking compromise, it was designed to appeal to conservatives and others seeking tougher border enforcement; business interests eager for a steady supply of legal, low-wage labor; unions seeking enhanced protections for migrants who often toil in seasonal work the fields and Hispanics who are on the cusp of greater political power and determined to win a change in legal status for millions of illegal immigrants.
That last group Hispanics comprises the fastest growing segment of the electorate, and millions made their feelings clear in street demonstrations denouncing the House measure and calling for passage of a broader measure.
Bush played a prominent role in the run-up to passage. An Oval Office speech last week made explicit his support for the Senate's overall approach. A later trip to Arizona was designed to reassure conservatives about his commitment to stanching illegal immigration.
In more than a week of debate, the Senate made a series of changes in the legislation. Still, the key pillars were preserved when opponents failed to knock out the guest worker program or the citizenship provisions. A new program for 1.5 million temporary agricultural workers also survived.
To secure the borders, the measure calls for the hiring of an additional 1,000 new Border Patrol agents this year and 14,000 by 2011, and backs Bush's plan for a short-term deployment of National Guard troops to states along the Mexican Border. The bill calls for new surveillance equipment as well as the construction of 370 miles of triple-layered fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers.
The new guest worker program would admit 200,000 individuals a year. Once here, they would be permitted for the first time to petition on their own for a green card that confers legal permanent residency, a provision designed to reduce the potential for exploitation by employers.
A separate new program, a compromise between growers and unions, envisions admission of an estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers who may also apply for permanent residency
Even supporters of the bill conceded the three-tiered program related to illegal immigrants was complicated.
Those in the country unlawfully for five years or more would be permitted to remain, continue working and eventually apply for citizenship. They would be required to pay at least $3,250 in fines and fees, settle any back taxes and learn English.
Illegal immigrants in the country for more than two years but less than five would be required to travel to a point of entry before re-entering the United States legally and beginning a lengthy process of seeking citizenship. They would be subject to the same fines, fees and other requirements as the longer-term immigrants.
An immigrant in the country illegally for less than two years would be required to leave with no guarantee of return.
A new electronic system for employee verification is designed to hold employers accountable for hiring decisions. It provides for maximum fines of $20,000 for each worker and possible jail time for repeat offenders.
A separate controversy erupted over a call to make English the national language. Supporters said it would leave all current rights in place. Detractors argued it could undermine an executive order that mandates assistance to individuals who receive services such as health care yet lack proficiency in English.
Its more than the amnesty bill. The People (remember them?) are overwhelmingly against this. Yet they voted for it anyway. Ill bet Fox is having a great time on his listening tour. Scratch that-his gloating tour..
For your childrens' sakes and your own, start bombarding your congresspeople tomorrow no matter how you think they are going to vote.
Even if you've never done this in your life, do it now. Take a half hour and just do it.....by phone, fax, or email.
In the email, show your rage in the title slot.
Freepers, this is our test. This is our reason for being here. This is where the rubber meets the road.
I'm phoning Martinez and Bill Nelson tomorrow. I'm going to show my rage. Forget the politeness this time. Be full of rage, but no name-calling or bad words. Righteous rage is what we HAVE to show.
Do the math. If 20 million illegals (a low number) choose to have their spouses and multiple children join them, I don't even want to publish the numerical figure of breathing humans that will descend upon us.
Then there's the subsequent immigration of parents, grandparents, sibling, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc.
Then there's the anchor babies phenomenom.
They will soon take the country over.
Do your bit tomorrow. Keep trying to get through. We're not getting a second chance if the House buckles.
Leni
Sorry, no spin intended.
I agree with you: it is indeed a betrayal.
I do believe, however, that it will be easier for the House to stand firm on "Enforcement first, Enforcement only, Enforcement Now" knowing that the majority of Republican Senators voted against the bill.
I already answered your question
Chaffee, DeWine, Lugar and Snowe are up for re-election this November. It will be interesting to see what type of impact will be made as a result of this vote.
If Bush signs the Senate version of this garbage, I'm going to bury my American flag. America will be gone folks.
Figures the RepubicRAT Senate "leader" would stack his side of the committee with the most-lieberal of his House of Congress.
OOOOOOK, now we have a list of those states who are willing to accept illegal immigrants. Those who have both senators who voted YEA. All we have to do is make sure that the illegals know where they are most welcome and the problem is solved.
RIGHT, MCCAIN pushed this with KENNEDY.
Screw Bill Frist and the entire "Republican" leadership who did this to our country.
So he'll skip straight to the end of the United States of America that the Senate bill represents rather than the 3/4ths-of-the-way-there that he pushed for?
Bump
There were 23.... You left out Hagel
Kennedy is a liberal and I'm not surprised by his actions
Bringing on the "New World Order"?
This stupid Senate Bill is not law and hopefully the House will kill alot of things in it
I believe the chairman of the House committee that the bill first came out of, who in this case would be Sensenbrenner, picks the conferees but the Speaker (Hastert) has the overall say.
Anyway, I believe the House cannot appoint their own conferees until the Senate's version of the bill passes -- because, obviously, if the Senate's version of a bill is rejected in the Senate, then there would be nothing to have a joint conference on.
The joint conference is to merge both the Senate bill and the House bill.
All we, or at least I, can hope for is that the House conferees will kill the Senate's sham bill.
Cornyn was one of the MAIN Senators in charge of the Immigration policy!!
HE doesn't get on the list???, but DEWENIE does???
Did I see Graham as well???
Boy, Frist sure is stacking the deck isn't he??
At least Sessions and Kyl are there...but that is only 2.
I am not going to even HOPE that the rest that he chooses MIGHT include someone that actually voted against this crap bill.
If Bush signs the Senate version of this garbage, I'm going to bury my American flag. America will be gone folks.
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