Posted on 05/17/2007 10:16:31 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of senators reached agreement with the White House Thursday on an immigration overhaul to grant quick legal status to millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S. and fortify the border against new ones.
One of the key negotiators, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said he expects President Bush to endorse it.
The deal came after weeks of painstaking closed-door negotiations that brought the most liberal Democrats and the most conservative Republicans together with Bush's Cabinet officers to produce a highly complex measure that carries heavy political consequences.
It set the stage for what promises to be a bruising battle next week in the Senate on one of Bush's top non-war priorities.
This is a breaking news update. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican and Democratic senators huddled Thursday trying to close in on an immigration compromise to grant quick legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants while fortifying U.S. borders against new ones.
A group of lawmakers that has been haggling over the terms of agreement for weeks were reviewing language negotiated Wednesday night in efforts to nail down a deal. Among the final sticking points was a stubborn dispute over how much family ties count toward green cards under a new "point system." The plan prioritizes advanced skills and education levels for future immigrants.
Two of the lead negotiators, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., booked time for Thursday afternoon in the Senate's radio-TV gallery for an announcement.
But Kennedy said some were hanging back as an agreement inched closer.
"There are just some people who don't want to close on this. There comes a time in every negotiation where people have to close," Kennedy said. "Today is it."
Kennedy said Thursday was likely the last chance for a compromise before senators scattered for a three-day weekend.
"The immigration reform legislation has come to a boiling point," Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said just before going into Thursday's meeting. "We've tried to come to a consensus and I think we are very, very close, but every time we grasp it, it eludes a final resolution."
If no deal emerged, Senate Democrats were to vote Monday evening to bring up an immigration measure that passed last year over the objections of most Republicans, who have said they will block it. That would be a highly partisan start to the immigration debate, which divides the two parties and exposes fissures within their ranks.
Even with a bipartisan agreement, the immigration debate could easily devolve into a free-for-all in the unruly Senate.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., has said he wants to complete a bill before Memorial Day, and President Bush says he wants to sign one by summer's end.
Immediate amnesty.
Jorge El Segundo - Mexico’s Choice
There must be at least that many in SoCal alone. Besides, how many years have they been tossing around that number?
Yep.
I am convinced that Thompson would be in full agreement with this amnesty. He started as an aide to Howard Baker and was the counsel in the Senate Watergate Committee. He is not part of the conservative movement.
They have got their base all figured out, and they know that they can get away with anything if they pull the right string. It is like battered wife syndrome. This outrage is temporary. Altogether sad.
I have had it with Bush and the GOP. That’s it.
As for what the ”union members” think... I could care less. If it weren’t for the unions’ greed we wouldn’t be in the predicament we are in. Unions are nothing more than little sects of communists each trying to be the tail that wags the dog. I say make unions illegal and get rid of the welfare system in this country. Once those two things are accomplished we will have more than enough workers to harvest our crops. We won’t need illegal aliens to do the work.
Who knows. We may even help the overall health of our nation's populace once we stop supporting their lazy arses and they have to go to work.
Imagine all the benefits.
Aaaaaah... but sound reasoning isn’t common now-a-day is it?
that is just a bone thrown our way. There will be NO enforcement of this at all. This will be in court faster than the next million to cross our borders.
Unless they miscalculated. Calculators often do, you know.
Specter is the smartest Republican to come out of PA in a generation. He knows just how liberal his own party is, and other Republicans think their party is “conservative”.
OH.. it’ll get worse... just wait and see.
WHAT'S LEFT OF IT!!
President Bush just announced that he will sign the comprehensive immigration reform bill the minute it reaches his desk from the Senate and then the House. He’s hailing it as “a great bipartisan victory.”
“Associated Builders and Contractors
Associated General Contractors of America
American Hotel and Lodging Association
American Immigration Lawyers Association
American Jewish Committee
American Meat Institute
American Nursery and Landscape Association
Essential Worker Immigration Coalition
Grover G. Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
League of United Latin American Citizens
Linda Chavez, Chairman, Center for Equal Opportunity
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund
National Association of Home Builders
National Immigration Forum
National Restaurant Association
National Council of Chain Restaurants
National Roofing Contractors Association
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors - National Association
Service Employees International Union
Society of American Florists
Tamar Jacoby, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute
The Latino Coalition
UNITE/HERE
United Farm Workers of America
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association
US Chamber of Commerce”
All addicted to cheap labor!!
I think the massive illegal immigration of hispanics without education or the kind of values that ensure a classical liberal republic is the greatest threat the republic has faced - worse than Al Qaida because it is so insidious.
Ah..."bipartisanship"...the joining together of Democrats and liberal Republicans to sell out their oaths, the Constitution, and the country.
There's more to that story. JD Hayworth lost against Mitchell, the former mayor of Tempe, for other reasons than his stand on immigration. Mitchell was just as strong as JD on the issue. JD lost because of some alleged scandal about his wife receiving payments from his campaign chest and redistricting. Kolbe's old district was trending Dem. The Dem who won defused the immigration issue by saying that she favored President Bush's plan.
It is also worth noting that the ballot initiative to make English the official language of AZ passed overwhelmingly.
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