Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) gestures after speaking at a rally for immigration rights in front of the Capitol Building on the Washington Mall September 7, 2006. (Jason Reed/Reuters)
Teddy K: HEY! Anybody need a lift?
Posted on 09/07/2006 4:04:11 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - House Republicans are crafting new bills to crack down on illegal immigrants, nailing the coffin shut for now on broader legislation that would give many illegal immigrants legal status.
If the bills are approved, Republicans can go into midterm elections Nov. 7 saying they took action on illegal immigration. At the same time, they can appease conservatives who oppose giving illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship, which some have called amnesty.
"Our borders are a sieve and we are at war and we certainly need to act like we are at war. We need to close our borders," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., told reporters Thursday.
House leaders will preside over a meeting next week where Republican committee chairmen will propose border security measures based on what they learned from field hearings they conducted over the past month, Hastert said.
"It won't be the whole 95 tons of what we've tried to work between the House and Senate, but we will try to get some things done," he said.
Some possible ideas include voter identification cards and safer Social Security cards, he said.
The package also will include some immigration spending added to pending defense and homeland security appropriations bills. Congressional leaders want to get those bills to President Bush this month before adjourning to campaign for the November elections.
Senate Majority Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said Wednesday it would be "next to impossible" to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill by the end of the month.
The House package would also need Senate approval. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, said Congress has already been improving border security.
"I think it would be a huge lost opportunity if we don't try to create a system going forward that allows people to come into our country legally," Hutchison said. She has proposed an immigration bill with Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., that calls for a guest worker program.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., a chief architect of the Senate bill, said the House plan for more legislation "has more to do with solving a political problem for Republicans than solving our immigration problem."
Kennedy joined thousands of people who rallied on the National Mall to push for a comprehensive immigration bill. The crowd chanted "Si Se Puede," which translates to "Yes, it can be done." But some were skeptical it could be done soon.
"If we go back to the civil rights movement, people had to march for years and years to get something," said Jaime Castillo, chairman of the National Capital Immigration Council.
Flor Hernandez, 25, of Alexandria, Va., said she is already looking to the future. She is the daughter of immigrants from El Salvador.
"I'm here to support my next generation and to make sure we are going to vote," she said.
The House passed an enforcement-only immigration bill last December that would build 700 miles of fences on the border, require employers to verify workers are legal and subject to felony prosecution illegal immigrants and the people who help them.
The bill triggered massive street demonstrations last spring by immigrants and their advocates that helped build support for the Senate's broader immigration bill.
In June, the Senate passed a bill supported by Bush that would let a majority of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States remain in the country and eventually earn U.S. citizenship. It also would create a new guest worker program and toughen border security.
With elections looming, House Republicans balked at negotiating a compromise, instead holding dozens of hearings in July and August to criticize the Senate bill.
___
Associated Press writer Natasha Metzler contributed to this report.
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) gestures after speaking at a rally for immigration rights in front of the Capitol Building on the Washington Mall September 7, 2006. (Jason Reed/Reuters)
Teddy K: HEY! Anybody need a lift?
Man, I would have paid a small fortune to see a stage dive....
ping
stage dive....
lol.. probably why they banned posters with pointy sticks.
as the nike ads used to say..."just do it!!!"
The conservatives here, on this forum, and all over the land, do not want further APPEASEMENT. They want a wall on the Mexican border and troops there fulltime indefinitely NOW, and tough employer sanctions NOW, demolition of tax supported day labor centers NOW, and denial of social welfare benefits, tuition credits, drivers licenses, banking remittance, mortgage applications for illegals NOW, and an end to anchor babies NOW, and deportations, some may be forced but mostly on their own volition when they see the spigot of gringo freebies is really being shut down. If the GOP can get onboard for that in this closing Congress, and the next Congress, they will have our support on Election Day.
Not sure the word "dive" is a good choice when talking about a Kennedy.
Hmmmm.... Maybe my call to Denny Hastert's office (along with thousands of others) did some good.
I told the young man who answered the phone that if Congress didn't do something about the Border before the midterm elections, Speaker Hastert will be handing the gavel over to Nancy Pelosi in January.
65 PROTESTS FROM COAST TO COAST, LARGEST IMMIGRANT MOBILIZATION IN HISTORY.
Washington, D.C. ? Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy joined over 200,000 for a rally supporting his plan for comprehensive immigration reform. Demonstrations took place across the country, in 65 cities, for the ?National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice?. Last week, comprehensive immigration legislation spearheaded by Senators Kennedy and McCain fell short of the votes needed to move forward. Leaders in the labor, business and religious community came together in an unprecedented way to meet this challenge and Senator Kennedy has vowed to continue his fight for tough, fair legislation that deals with our national security and economic challenges in a way that is consistent with our values and the American Dream.
?Some in Congress want to turn America away from its true spirit,? Senator Kennedy said, ?They believe immigrants are criminals. That?s false. They believe any of us who help immigrants ? even our priests ? are criminals, too. That?s false. They say you should report to deport. I say report to become American citizens. More than four decades ago, near this place, Martin Luther King called on the nation to let freedom ring. Freedom did ring ? and freedom can ring again. It is time for Americans to lift their voices now -- in pride for our immigrant past and in pride for our immigrant future.?
The Kennedy-McCain plan combines tough enforcement measures that will protect our borders and increase national security and provide a path to earned citizenship. Demonstrators from coast to coast are demanding humane immigration solutions that provide a path to citizenship, unite families, deal with the future flow of immigrants in a legal and compassionate way, and ensure workplace and civil rights protections, all of which are included the Kennedy-McCain plan for comprehensive immigration reform.
They know it will never get through the Senate. After the elections then watch out.
Voter ID cards!! Watch the Democrats' heads explode.
I just realized that saddly even if it got through the House, and Senate, Bush would never sign it into law.
Come over and visit the Pennsylvania state board just to see what is being said about Senator Rick Santorum.
"
"If we go back to the civil rights movement, people had to march for years and years to get something," said Jaime Castillo, chairman of the National Capital Immigration Council."
This is a disgusting comparison. There is no comparison between the two and i'd expect that if Jamie had had any US history he'd know that. Martin Luther King was fighting to give US citizens the right to vote, the right to eat anywhere they wanted, they right to go to the same places other citizens could go, and the right to live in a society free of the fear of racial violence. Castillo and his crowd are fighting to let foreign citizens vote and live off of our welfare system.
"Si Se Puede,"
"
Some in Congress want to turn America away from its true spirit. They believe immigrants are criminals."
I don't think immigrants are criminals. I respect immigrants. I think ILLEGAL immigrants are criminals. They are called ILLEGAL for the reason that they break the law. Hence they are CRIMINALS. You'd think that wouldn't be too hard for anyone to understand, even an old drunk.
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