Immigration debate sours for illegals

AP on Yahoo ^ | 4/12/07 | Julie Hirschfeld Davis - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - The terms of the immigration debate have turned less friendly for illegal immigrants as lawmakers and the Bush administration struggle to reach a deal in the next few weeks.

The landscape for an immigration overhaul has turned upside down in only a year, with a different party in control of Congress and new political realities for President Bush and the chief congressional negotiators.

Bush — in search of a domestic legacy — has morphed from cheerleader on the sidelines to broker in the fray, dispatching Cabinet members for lengthy daily meetings with senators on Capitol Hill.

Last year's GOP point man, Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) — whose moderate stance on immigration defined last year's approach — is hanging back, wary of angering conservatives while he struggles to keep his presidential run going.

And while Republican divisions were highlighted last year, this time it's Democrats — eager to show they can lead — whose fissures are on display.

In an ironic twist, the outlines of a potential deal have moved to the right — toward a more difficult road to citizenship for the nation's roughly 12 million illegal immigrants — even as the power in Congress has shifted to Democrats, who overwhelmingly favor a more permissive approach.

The White House has floated a proposal that would require illegal immigrants to pay fines as high as $10,000, face long waits and return to their home countries in order to be eligible for citizenship — far tougher conditions than in a bipartisan measure passed by the Senate last year and backed by Bush. The immigrants also would be denied a right to bring family members to the United States.

A bipartisan House measure introduced earlier this year would add a new mandate that undocumented immigrants go home before gaining legal status — a requirement that many Democrats and pro-immigrant groups have decried as "report to deport."

The changes reflect a new political calculus for Republicans, who fear that any plan passed by the centrist Senate will become more permissive toward immigrants in the more liberal House and during final Democratic-dominated negotiations.

Democrats, in turn, recognize that any immigration plan must have substantial GOP support in order to have a chance of being signed into law, so they are considering tougher measures. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., has told Bush he must deliver 70 Republican votes before she will attempt to pass any immigration bill.

The White House said the proposal floated recently was part of an effort to find an immigration plan the president's party could agree on.

"Those were discussion points on which consensus was beginning to build among Republican senators," said Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman.

As Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., his party's point man on the issue, huddles with Republicans and Bush's team in search of a deal, other Democrats are impatient to pitch their own, more immigrant-friendly plan. Many advocates of an overhaul, including immigrant advocacy groups, business interests and organized labor, are adamantly opposed to the framework under discussion.

"This is the kind of gut-wrenching moment that happens before a deal is about to be cut and before legislation is about to start moving," said Angela Kelley, the deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, a private group pushing for an overhaul.

Bush and Democrats regard the tricky issue as one of their few areas of potential compromise during a year dominated by partisan clashes on the Iraq war. Strategists in both parties say the 2006 elections — which punished many vocally anti-immigration candidates — showed that voters support action on the issue.

But the clock is ticking on attempts to compromise, with the Senate set to debate immigration next month and most insiders seeing August as a deadline for action by both chambers.

"There are plenty of Democrats who would rather just walk away and say the Republicans are racist, and the Hispanics will vote for us, and then we'll do something" after the 2008 elections, said Tamar Jacoby, an immigration expert at the conservative Hudson Institute who has consulted with the White House and Republicans on the issue.

Last year's effort collapsed as House Republicans revolted against the Senate-passed measure, calling it amnesty. They rejected Bush's call for a "comprehensive" deal that included both a temporary guest worker program for new arrivals and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already here. Many conservative Republicans, particularly in the House, still are adamantly opposed to any such measure.

Now GOP leaders have tapped Sen. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona, one of those who hung back from the comprehensive approach amid a tough re-election fight, to lead negotiations on a compromise.

McCain's office, meanwhile,denies that he has scaled back his once-prominent role.

"The more members that are involved the better, but he is thoroughly engaged and totally committed to finding a solution," said Eileen McMenamin, McCain's spokeswoman.

Privately, senators in both parties and strategists on the issue say he has faded from the forefront of immigration negotiations — leaving his staff to track them and a confidant, Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record) of South Carolina, to mediate — while he waits for the right moment to weigh in.

"He'll be there if they emerge with a bipartisan bill — he'll be there standing with everyone else — but it didn't pay for him to be the lonely guy," Jacoby said.

[GatorGirl]

Staytrue, that is the truth.

But the MSM has the sheeple convinced that this is the worst ecomony ever, the housing market has gone south, you will soon lose your home to foreclosure and you’re one paycheck away from disaster. It’s all Bush’s fault, of course.

But they are asleep on this issue until it directly affects them—i.e. they lose their construction job to an illegal crew who doesn’t have to pay taxes or worker’s comp or loses their job at the poultry plant.

What needs to happen is big publicity on actual crime statistics and the actual cost of illegal immigration.

On human terms, I feel for the poor people in Mexico who have to eat dirt. But we can’t have them disregarding our immigration laws!

Bush is such good compadres with Mexico, we should be encouraging them to cut the corruption that results in a very small weathy class, a large corrupt government employee class and a huge underclass in Mexico. We should also take a page out of Mexico’s book on how they police their southern border—they are such hypocrites it’s not even funny!

If illegals and/or guest workers were not sending those billions back home, the revolution would have already occurred—of course there is a good chance that Mexico would then tilt socialist but then that would be great reason to completely seal the border!

[Just A Nobody]

Yeah, let's have 12 million of us just not pay our taxes.

If only WE would do that we might see some action. But of course we never will. Instead we will sit around and complain and do nothing pro-active. *sigh*

[Just A Nobody]

30 million...a much more accurate estimate.

Then let's start using that figure. IIRC, the 1986 AMNESTY was supposed to be for 1 million, but turned into nearly 4 million.

[staytrue]

It truly breaks my heart to look at those pictures

fyi, check out the production values on the posters and the banners. for the most part, they are very high quality. The protestors had a lot of help in terms of money. Possibly Soros, but really, it could come from anywhere.

[Just A Nobody]

Every law should be enforced or taken off the books.

Bears repeating!!!

[azhenfud]

The President’s administration is making the prospect of legal immigrants following legal channels to immigrate less likely than those illegal aliens invading from the South.

http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=584

USCIS Details Proposal for Increased Immigration Fees

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to raise the application fee for lawful permanent resident status from $325 to $905 and the fee for naturalization from $330 to $595, according to a January 31 announcement in the federal register. The public has until April 2 to file comments on the proposed increases, which would take effect in June at the earliest.

Fees for temporary workers and all other types of temporary and permanent migration applications would also increase, as would the cost of the fingerprints required for most benefits. Overall, USCIS says fees would increase by an average of 86 percent.

USCIS says the increased fees are necessary to cover the full costs of their operations; improve USCIS operations, including digitizing paper-based files; and reduce processing time by 20 percent.

USCIS relies on immigration fees to pay for processing immigration applications but also to cover its administrative costs, refugee and asylee services, security checks for other immigration agencies, and the office of citizenship.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Fee increases affect only legal applicants.

[Just A Nobody]

Great post...thanks!

[Netizen]

Why do they want Bush to step down? He’s on their side!

[LongElegantLegs]

Thank you! And nope. ;-P

[LongElegantLegs]

Seems there are a number of people here on this board that feel we should support the republican party at all costs no matter what.

Exactly. But, we are not one of the Democrats dependent minority group, and since we don't ask for handouts, the Repubs have nothing to use to keep us in line. They can't even effectively bribe us, since they don't GIVE us anything but empty promises.

[AuntB]

“Amnestia!! Amnestia!!”

Well, at least the illegals know what to call it!

[AuntB]

I got matches!

[NRA2BFree]

It truly breaks my heart to look at those pictures. For what these people lack in education they more than make up for in arrogance. Our elected officials must really live in a parallel universe. To even consider giving these people anything more than a train ride outta here is the same thing as literally spitting in our faces.

I know what you mean. It not only breaks my heart but it angers me to the point of wanting to go back to DC with a bunch of "good ole boys" and have another "tea party", only instead of tossing tea, we'll toss Politicians! You would think that the GOP learned a lesson when we tossed them out of office in the last election but I don't think they were paying attention.

That fat, drunken, murderer, Ted Kennedy is the one who gave us the original amnesty in 1986 and THAT is why we have such a mess with illegals now. ANYONE who would sign onto a bill as a cosponsor for immigration is not only crazy, but they are traitors! People like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Arlen Specter, et al, and they're all REPUBLICANS!! They truly make me sick!! This new legislation allows ALL of their family to move to the US and become citizens. We are going to be just like Mexico in a decade.

There is no way we can retain OUR culture when another 50 - 60 million people from Mexico move to America. Every time I see one of them with a bandanna on their face I realize that this is the future of the America. If you think that's bad, just wait until Bush allows the semis from Mexico to start running our highways in the next couple of weeks. It's going to be a blood bath!

Americans are getting screwed!!! I think it's time we screw back!!

[dfwgator]

2. Deport anyone born or raised in California. ;-)

Or Austria. ;-)

[NRA2BFree]

fyi, check out the production values on the posters and the banners. for the most part, they are very high quality. The protestors had a lot of help in terms of money. Possibly Soros, but really, it could come from anywhere.

I'm glad you caught that too! This wasn't just a normal protest. It was well planned out and there was a lot of money that went to buy those posters and flags. There had to be a lot of coordinating to it also. Soros undoubtedly had a lot of money invested in it, and so did the DemonRAT Party. Most people don't keep flags in their house. Many of the Mexicans are too illiterate to make this day of protest happen. The Mexican flags and the statements on the posters back fired and caused a lot of Americans to come out against them. After that happened, the next time they protested most of their flags were American flags. I didn't believe them, and I don't think most Americans bought it either. The messages on their posters was VERY CLEAR. They think America is theirs and they plan on taking it back. Unfortunately, the idiots in DC are helping them to do it.

[WesternPacific]

Demanding anything does not help their so called cause. It only angers the people who will vote on their demands.

[panthermom]

I live in Georgia, not exactly a border state, but because of construction we are flooded with illegals. It it amazes me how quickly they can over whelm a community. We call the “block busters”. We are definately moving out of my town. I figure once the real estate signs are written in just spanish it’s time to giddy up and go! Some people say it’s everywhere, you can’t escape it, but I’m gonna try like hell to be ahead of the wave. I would love to stand firm in my community and tell them “F” off and go home but I have 3 kids to worry about and anyone who has a huge influx knows about the gangs. My kids are worth much more to me. Yet at the same time I look at what’s around me and I am so angry at what will be left for my children. They will be working to support a whole new generation of imported poverty. I cannot stand the people in Washington, I never knew I could feel such contempt. How dare they! Yet they will, it’s all about power and the here and now, forget about the future for the rest of us and our families.

[Netizen]

That’s because the politicians get to live in gated communities.

[panthermom]

My Congressman is John Linder. He is against illegals but I will tell you this. His home town used to be one of the nicest places to live in Gwinnett, now the people cannot get out of there fast enough. Mostly Mexican, the school was one of the best now one of the worst in the immediate area.

[Netizen]

There seems to be a lot of that going around. :(