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.
Makes ya wonder how it is that a Republican controlled Senate creates a bill so appealing to the Rats, and that SO many Republicans vote against??
It was McCain that pushed this bill
I heard the bill was pretty much dead (tabled) when the WH made some calls and got it revived and passed..... that sounds like there's plenty of blame to go around, but the largest pile is on the WH lawn......
Fix.
Is.
In.
It's Two-card Monty, folks.
It wasn't all republicans .. though there were enough of them to stupidly follow McCain
Any chance we can do that recall of McCain again??
At least the House members are acting like conservatives while the senate is controlled by Rinos, who need to be unseated.
Out, out damn spots!!!
I've heard alot of things too .. not all have been true
You're not actually defending this atrocity, are you? I mean, look at who voted for it and who voted against it. You're either on the side of Kennedy/Clinton/etc or you're with those who stood up against this crap. Are you a conservative or not?
Rim-shot, please.
You either support the Senate amnesty bill S.2611, or you support the House enforcement only bill, HR4437.
The line in the sand has been drawn.
No. You're knee jerking as usual.
Do you agree with the statement I replied to?
Nothing near this bad would have EVER come out of a democratic controlled congress
I replied. "False". Only you and yours could take that as "defending this atrocity".
Does this bill affect many international students who have to go under scrutiny when they want to work legally? It seems it would be easier for them if they simply do illegal thing and receive amnesty later.
The WH figures passage now takes the issue off the front burner for the fall elections. They may be right BUT it still means 200,000,000 new immigrants to America over the next 20 years.
I was wrong about the 34 Republicans voting against. Two more Democrats, Dorgan (ND) and Stabenow (MI) voted against it, so only 32 Republicans voted against. that's still a majority of the majority, though.
From www.senate.gov, those voting against:
NAYs ---36
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
"The New Deal, The Great Society, Medicare,
Abortion, Welfare, need I go on,, , all the while coddling with commies,, all in the last 75 years alone ,, the liebrals have little to crow about accomplishments-wise, imo. The left's hands are far from clean.
Would you say different?"
this is worse than all those combined in its current form
Well I will have to congratulate Pat Roberts on his fine senatorial duty, where as I suspected Brownback could not sink any lower into his cess pool of illegal worship.
Bond's part in this is real disapointing. Kit should drive through North County one day. The view is different that that of the Senate office buildings..
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 2nd Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
| Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to be U.S. Circuit Judge ) | |||
| Vote Number: | 158 | Vote Date: | May 25, 2006, 06:55 PM |
| Required For Majority: | 3/5 | Vote Result: | Cloture Motion Agreed to |
| Nomination Number: | PN1179 | ||
| Nomination Description: | Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit | ||
| Vote Counts: | YEAs | 67 |
| NAYs | 30 | |
| Not Voting | 3 |
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