Posted on 05/20/2007 8:06:50 AM PDT by Politicalmom
When the new immigration bill — a truly delicate compromise between seemingly irreconcilable sides on the highly emotional issue — comes to the Senate floor this week, expect high drama and a bit of suspense.
The reason: even though the bill is a compromise and what politicos on both sides of the issue say is the best chance to pass any kind of a bill this year (or for some years to come), it’s being blasted by some on both sides of the issue. The Christian Science Monitor:
Even before the details of a sweeping immigration reform deal were released this week, lawmakers and “stakeholders” on all sides of the issue began carving out changes they say are needed for the bill to become law.
Immigration rights groups want to reverse measures that tilt preferences in the visa system toward merit, rather than family reunification. Some labor unions want to scuttle the vast new guest worker program. And conservatives are blasting a plan that opens the door to legal status to some 12 million people now in the country illegally.
But the breadth of the coalition backing this bill – and the political skills of its sponsors – will give this bill momentum, as it faces a Senate debate next week and a perilous passage through the House in July.
Sen. Lindsay Graham (D) of South Carolina, a key negotiator, predicted that support in the Senate “will be overwhelming, as long as the agreement holds together.” A weary aide put it more bluntly: “Now, we’re all about to become piñatas for our respective groups.”
If it passes, some political heads could roll on both sides. If it doesn’t, some political heads could roll also. And those who believe the bill is a massive mistake and doesn’t take a hard enough line have gotten a boost now that the National Border Patrol Council has come out squarely against it, as the Washington Times reports:
The leadership of all 11,000 nonsupervisory U.S. Border Patrol agents yesterday criticized an immigration compromise by senators and the Bush administration as “piecemeal” legislation that invites future terrorist attacks and fails to secure the nation’s borders.
“Every person who has ever risked their life securing our borders is extremely disheartened to see some of our elected representatives once again waving the white flag on the issues of illegal immigration and border security,” National Border Patrol Council President T.J. Bonner said.
“Rewarding criminal behavior has never induced anyone to abide by the law, and there is no reason to believe the outcome will be any different this time,” he said.
Mr. Bonner said that with the ever-present threat of terrorism, it is critical to take steps necessary to immediately and completely secure the nation’s borders, adding that “piecemeal measures” will prolong America’s vulnerability and are “an open invitation to further terrorist attacks.”
This will give further impetus to the bill’s critics, particularly cable and radio talk show hosts who are already asking their audiences to flood Congress with calls expressing (a) opposition and (b) saying they will switch political parties, register as independent voters or vote against them if this bill passes. So far there is no huge emotional counterpart to motivate massive groups of people on the other side of this issue to call in and clamor for its passage. Will The Intensity Factor rule the day?
[Bonner]said the Border Patrol is “totally overwhelmed” by the number of illegal aliens crossing daily into the United States. Last year, the Border Patrol apprehended 1.1 million illegals, more than 3,000 every day.
“Rather than meaningless triggers of additional personnel and barriers outlined in the compromise, Americans must insist that border security be measured in absolute terms,” Mr. Bonner said. “Sadly, the plan that the Senate is proposing falls woefully short by that yardstick and needlessly jeopardizes the security of this nation.”
Will it pass?
News accounts differ between those who say the coalition will hold firm (the Monitor story) and those who contend passage of the bill is questionable (the Times story and some wire stories). In the end, it’ll depend on whether the coalition does indeed hold firm. And even if it passes in the Senate, there are doubts about how the proposal will fare among GOPers in the House.
But if it’s approved in the Senate, look for Bush’s and the GOP’s poll ratings to go down since this is truly “hot button” issue among conservatives — and despite some attempts to sell its conservative base on its approach to this issue, the administration’s outreach-and-convince efforts on this have been woefully inadequate…as have its efforts to convince rather than impose its decisions on other policies. The result: those who oppose it will feel they lost on a vote count and will feel betrayed by an administration that didn’t do it’s homework in terms of convincing or at least neutralizing opposition within its own party base.
A key characteristics of the Bush administration is its inability to adequately build consensus on issues. Rather, it decides, presents and then tries to shove through many of its policies on various fronts. This bill was a compromise bill, but an administration that had greater abilities in aggregating interests versus vote-counting might have been able to bring a greater part of its party’s conservative base along with solid and comprehensive arguments and political skills.
“The leadership of all 11,000 nonsupervisory U.S. Border Patrol agents yesterday criticized an immigration compromise by senators and the Bush administration as “piecemeal” legislation that invites future terrorist attacks and fails to secure the nation’s borders.
“Every person who has ever risked their life securing our borders is extremely disheartened to see some of our elected representatives once again waving the white flag on the issues of illegal immigration and border security,” National Border Patrol Council President T.J. Bonner said.”
BTTT!
BUMP BUMP BUMP
Pandsey inhabits more than just one closet.
My initial reaction is that anything that calls itself “The Moderate Voice” is a leftist organ for sure.
“My initial reaction is that anything that calls itself “The Moderate Voice” is a leftist organ for sure.”
That’s part of what makes this piece all the more damning.
Misleading headline they've put out there. Bonner expressed his opinion on the legislation (has he read it?), and the headline implies that ALL border patrol agents agree with him.
I hate it when the media do stuff like that.
[Bonner]said the Border Patrol is “totally overwhelmed” by the number of illegal aliens crossing daily into the United States. Last year, the Border Patrol apprehended 1.1 million illegals, more than 3,000 every day.
Who are we supposed to believe,political hacks in Washington who are pushing this bill for self serving purposes or the men and woman who have to deal with this growing problem on a daily basis?By the way the Senate bill cuts Duncan Hunter’s 850 mile border fence that he got approved last year in half to somewhere around 350 miles !!!
There IS NO NEED TO PASS ANOTHER BILL! Enforcement of THE CURRENT LAW would solve many of the problems.
It could take TWO years for some parts of a NEW LAW to be implemented.
In other words, A NEW LAW WOULD ALREADY BE OBSOLETE AND UNENFORCABLE!!!!!!!
“(has he read it?)”
Last I could find, the actual language for the bill is not even been written yet.
So I thought. But then I read the article. And I ignored the name, because I think it is a decent piece.
And they are telling us that they WILL enforce this new law? Ok, I trust them now. All they had to do was slap me a few more times.
Bush has gotten more legislation passed than anyone since LBJ.
Enforcement of THE CURRENT LAW would solve many of the problems.
::::
Never happen - not when you have an administration that fights the support of our border laws to ENABLE ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO THIS COUNTRY. The border patrol is hamstrung, limited, under staffed, and if they could really enforce our EXISTING laws, things would be better.
The ONLY SOLUTION to illegal immigration starts with CLOSING THE ENTIRE BORDER with a double fence. Then we work on the other issues. Not with this Mexican-pandering administration and Congress.
Think about it... in this new bill, he puts the author- Teddy Kennedy in charge of transporting the illegals from Mexico to the US..
If Kennedy can’t even get Mary Jo across a bridge, what do you think will happen when he tries to get all those people across the Rio Grande and the desert, especially after he finds how cheap tequila is down there.....
Brilliant I tell you, brilliant.. No more illegals will want to come over if Kennedy is driving the bus....
//sarc
They won’t clost the border, even if they say they are. They won’t build a fence, even if they say they are.
I will vote out the incumbent who supports Bushbot administration policy. And I mean what I say.
In addition, with so many pages, how many "gotchas" and "loopholes" are included? As has already been mentioned, secure the border first, then deal with those here illegally. When you have a leak in the house you don't mop first, you fix the leak first.
Tony Snow: No. Well, he gets to stay.
Coming to America 
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