Posted on 05/17/2007 12:16:18 PM PDT by 300magnum
WASHINGTON - Key senators in both parties and the White House announced agreement Thursday on an immigration overhaul that would grant quick legal status to millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S. and fortify the border.
The plan would create a temporary worker program to bring new arrivals to the U.S and a separate program to cover agricultural workers. Skills and education-level would for the first time be weighted over family connections in deciding whether future immigrants should get permanent legal status. New high-tech employment verification measures also would be instituted to ensure that workers are here legally.
The compromise came after weeks of painstaking closed-door negotiations that brought the most liberal Democrats and the most conservative Republicans together with President Bush's Cabinet officers to produce a highly complex measure that carries heavy political consequences.
Bush called it "a much-needed solution to the problem of illegal immigration in this country" and said, if approved, the proposal "delivers an immigration system that is secure, productive, orderly and fair."
"With this bipartisan agreement, I am confident leaders in Washington can have a serious, civil and conclusive debate so I can sign comprehensive reform into law this year," he said in a written statement. Bush planned to make remarks about the bill later Thursday at the White House.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, his party's lead negotiator on the deal, hailed it as "the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders and bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America."
Anticipating criticism from conservatives, Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said, "It is not amnesty. This will restore the rule of law."
The accord sets the stage for what promises to be a bruising battle next week in the Senate on one of Bush's top non-war priorities.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., called the proposal a "starting point" for that debate, but added that it needs improvement.
"I have serious concerns about some aspects of this proposal, including the structure of the temporary worker program and undue limitations on family immigration," Reid said in a statement.
The key breakthrough came when negotiators struck a bargain on a so-called "point system" that prioritizes immigrants' education and skill level over family connections in deciding how to award green cards.
The immigration issue also divides both parties in the House, which isn't expected to act unless the Senate passes a bill first.
The proposed agreement would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a "Z visa" and — after paying fees and a $5,000 fine — ultimately get on track for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. Heads of household would have to return to their home countries first.
They could come forward right away to claim a probationary card that would let them live and work legally in the U.S., but could not begin the path to permanent residency or citizenship until border security improvements and the high-tech worker identification program were completed.
A new temporary guest worker program would also have to wait until those so-called "triggers" had been activated.
Those workers would have to return home after work stints of two years, with little opportunity to gain permanent legal status or ever become U.S. citizens. They could renew their guest worker visas twice, but would be required to leave for a year in between each time.
Democrats had pressed instead for guest workers to be permitted to stay and work indefinitely in the U.S.
In perhaps the most hotly debated change, the proposed plan would shift from an immigration system primarily weighted toward family ties toward one with preferences for people with advanced degrees and sophisticated skills. Republicans have long sought such revisions, which they say are needed to end "chain migration" that harms the economy, while some Democrats and liberal groups say it's an unfair system that rips families apart.
Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card — except for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens.
New limits would apply to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.
Clinton did more than his fair share of screwing the country.
Not me. I can't wait until the next "Presidential approval rating" poll comes out. He has knifed the last remaining core of his supporters in the back. He will get numbers that make Carter and Nixon look stellar (at their nadir) in comparision.
The Republican Presidential candidates will be free to distance themselves from him politically. It will not just be the Rats railing against George Bush in the debates.
I doubt he cares. He’s not running again.
Anyone who has observed Washington, DC for any length of time knows precisely what is going to happen. The border enforcement provisions of the bill will be watered down by Democrats, and weak-kneed Republicans will go along, hoping no one notices. The border provisions will never be enforced, anyway. The money and the manpower are not there, nor will they ever be authorized.
The regulations that determine the "path to citizenship" will be written by committee staffers, and will wind up being so complex and cumbersome that they will rarely (if ever) be enforced. If they ever are, lawyers will descend, lawsuits in hand, to stop them.
So: It's Amnesty. 20 million new "citizens" who don't speak the language or pay taxes, but collect welfare benefits and vote for Democrats. As Ted Kennedy would say: "Hasta la Victoria!"
Great nations do not die because they are conquered: they commit suicide.
Is it possible for Bush’s approval rating to go to zero?/ He certainly has a shot at it if he signs this crap into law !!
The 14th ammendment that states that was only for the black slaves, not immagrants.
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You must have a different copy of the Constitution and its amendments than I do.
Section 1 (the relevant section to our discussion) reads as follows: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States wherein they reside.
Any other portions of the Constitution you would like to see ignored? There just is no wiggle room in the words “all persons born or naturalized” is there?
And the SELL OUT of the AMERICAN people begins!
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Begins? Continues apace is a bit closer to the truth.
There are fewer Mexicans in Mexico.
Well there goes the last 20%
I’m ticked!
If the conservative movement could get this president to change his mind on Harriet Miers then by God, this movement should be able to make enough noise and stop this crap! I’m writing the White House today to express my anger for this! I voted for this man twice. Rule of law means nothing now if millions of LAWBREAKING CRIMINALS will be given amnesty.
In fact, as far as I’m concerned, there ARE no laws in the US that I am bound to respect.
Sorry. I you’re a white or asian male, you must obey all laws. Anything other than, wink wink.
I was lucky enough to meet one ex-President years ago. It was acually kind of cool to say “Good evening, Mr. President.” I’ve always told myself that I’d say the same to any ex-president, even if (gag!) I stumbled across one of the two C’s. If I ever meet this president, I will say the following:
Beunos dias, Senor Presidente!
I’m completely serious...the honor that the office deserves, the truth that he deserves.
He says this will solve the problem without animosity and without amnesty. Once again, he’s wrong. He’s getting both!
I’ve voted for him and supported him for the last time.. Maybe he does need to be impeached !!! I have to wonder what Cheney would do on this >>>
Now there is a great idea!
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| We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture. Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende. For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America. As I speak, we are celebrating the success of democracy in Mexico. George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000. |
Here is an excerpt of a good critique of that speech:
In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster
Yeah, but will you vote for Jeb or George P. Bush?
“And the SELL OUT of the AMERICAN people begins”
In EARNEST I should have said.
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