Give me one Amendment & I’ll agree to a One-Time Amnesty

Great American Journal ^ | June 8, 2007 | JB Williams

[PlainOleAmerican]

If you like bi-partisan compromise and “progress” in the form of more legislation, you’re going to love this…

Since pretty much every member of congress seems convinced that simple enforcement of the existing immigration laws (that they passed) won’t work, and that rights for illegal aliens is a higher priority than the rights of legal law abiding Americans, some form of amnesty is bound to pass sooner or later.

Despite Washington’s marathon effort to screw the American citizen, the Wall Street Journal reports, “By a vote of 33-63, the Senate fell far short of the 60 votes that would have been needed to limit debate on the immigration measure and put it on a path to passage. Republicans -- even those who helped craft the measure and are expected to support it -- banded together to oppose that move, while a majority of Democrats backed it.”

But they will be back, we know this… So we need to cut a deal while we still can.

I propose a single simple amendment to the amnesty bill that might make amnesty acceptable for most Americans, members of congress not included most likely.

[org.whodat]

Read the proposed language again... any member of congress to make such a propsal forfeits his/her seat.

Have you ever read the constitution?

[PlainOleAmerican]

No new arm of government is needed...

We have the best enforcement agency in the world already, but they are busy securing Iraq instead of America.

[dennisw]

We have had our “one-time amnesty”.

Actually there have been seven amnesties

Congress has passed 7 amnesties for illegal aliens, starting in 1986.

1. Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA), 1986: A blanket amnesty for some 2.7 million illegal aliens

2. Section 245(i) Amnesty, 1994: A temporary rolling amnesty for 578,000 illegal aliens

3. Section 245(i) Extension Amnesty, 1997: An extension of the rolling amnesty created in 1994

4. Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) Amnesty, 1997: An amnesty for close to one million illegal aliens from Central America

5. Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act Amnesty (HRIFA), 1998: An amnesty for 125,000 illegal aliens from Haiti

6. Late Amnesty, 2000: An amnesty for some illegal aliens who claim they should have been amnestied under the 1986 IRCA amnesty, an estimated 400,000 illegal aliens

7. LIFE Act Amnesty, 2000: A reinstatement of the rolling Section 245(i) amnesty, an estimated 900,000 illegal aliens

8. Nine current bills are vying to be Amnesty No. 8

[pyx]

Give me one Amendment ... Amnesty is a One-Time offer for people already here,

No. No amendments. No new laws. No amnesty. Just ENFORCE the existing laws. Fine or imprision employers who break the EXISTING laws. Finish erecting the border fence. PERIOD

[BenLurkin]

I have a better idea.

Amend the Constitution so that the children of illegals are NOT citizens simply be virtue of being born in the USA.

[PlainOleAmerican]

Sorry... so far, only one has recognized that until we change how American voters think, there will be no changing how Washington thinks...

[JLS]

Wow what a series of BAD ideas strung together.

Amnesty is a One-Time offer for people already here, not to include any family or friends not here at the time of passage. It does not apply to anyone with a criminal history, specifically, those already making up about 20% of our U.S. prison population. Criminals must return to their homeland. MS13 or any other gang members need not apply.

Let see here we have first a typical DC plattitude like this Congress can in fact contrain the behavior of any futur Congress. Then we have an imprecise contradictory statement in one intepretation would apply to no one since being in the US illegally is a "criminal history." Perhaps you mean criminal record but then what does you confusiing gang statement mean it only applies to gang members with criminal records?

An application for amnesty must be filed with the INS within 90 days of the bill passing. Not coming forward and filing within the period allowed will be an automatic felony. No court time needed. You’re here and you didn’t file, so you’re guilty.

Anyone picked up after that date, even for jay-walking, will be immediately deported on the basis of that felony, no questions asked, no excuses accepted

I really like this part. My plan is to immediately report you as an illegal alien. Since you won't get any court time you will be assumed guilty and deported. And like your proposed "admendment," I dont care to where.

The borders are closed instantly. Rather than “redeploying” troops from Iraq to Okinawa, “redeploy” them to our southern border. If we won’t allow our troops to secure Iraq, maybe we’ll allow them to secure America. John Murtha and I can finally agree on something. It will save us the cost of a fence too.

So you are going all out to make this a plan no one will support. First you want to cut and run on the War on Terror and next you want to not build the fence.

NO immigrant who arrived or arrives here "illegally" and received or receives any form of "amnesty” can EVER attain voting rights or social economic assistance of any kind, including free medical care. They will have all other civil protections once approved for citizenship. But they will NEVER vote. If you want to have a say in the running of this country, the very least you could do is come here LEGALLY, demonstrating some form of respect for our laws.

Everyone other than prisoners of war already have those civil protections. I guess this one is more of offering blanket guest worker status rather than a path to citizenship. That is one that I happen to favor too.

Tax-paying immigrants can send their children to public school so long as they assimilate into the American culture, including our language, and abide by all laws.

The problem is that currently the American born children of immigrants legal or illegal are US Citizens and so you have put a poison pill in your own "ammendment." In addition you would need the assimilation police and another big government bureaucracy. BTW, why would you can if temporary guest workers assimilate or not.

From this moment forward, any member of congress that utters even a single word about reversing any of these conditions, adding more to the amnesty rolls in the future or fails to fully support and fund whatever it takes to secure our borders, immediately forfeits his/her seat in congress, to be replaced immediately by the highest ranking member of their state legislature, from the opposite party.

Fine any politician who promises free stuff to illegal aliens and every institution that provides illegal aliens with free services at tax-payer expense. Apply the three strike rule. If they are caught doing it and fined three times, they are out of business or out of congress for good.

So you are against freedom of speech too? For example you would not have been offended with similar restrictions to talking about tax reductions?

Seriously your proposal might have had merit in Nazi German or the Soviet Union, but it is not a serious proposal. Opponents of immigration reform expressing views like this make themselves look unserious.

Bascially when a proposal is made each side has to evaluate it and say is this proposal better or worse than the status quo. Yours with your call to retreat on the War on terror, restrict freedom of speech, allow the government to act without due process is clearly far worse than the status quo. You would be contributing far more to the debate if you worked on a plan that would be better than the status quo.

My outline for an improvement over the status quo would be to first build the fence authorized in last years bill. After that is done, make illegal immigrants before some date with jobs and no criminal record guest workers who could stay as long as employed. The children of temporary guest workers would not be US citizens. Any government retirement benefits would be scaled lower to the GDP per capita of their home country, but not raised if the GDP per capita of the home country is larger than the US. English would become the official language of the US and all government documents including ballots would be in English only. Some would agree with some parts and not other parts of this, but it is at least an attempt to discuss the issue.

[PlainOleAmerican]

Can recite it in my sleep... Have won Constitutional debates against both Yale and Harvard law professors...

NEXT QUESTION!

[reg45]

Since they would have 90 days (considering the mess at the State Department with passports - I'd extend that to one year) AFTER the passage of the bill to apply for amnesty, that would not be an ex post facto law.

As for the bill of attainder problem, we would still require court trials, but the person's mere presence within the borders of the United States would be considered prima facie evidence of guilt.

[PlainOleAmerican]

FENCE YOURSELF IN, NOT ME PLEASE....

A BORDER FENCE IS A LIE!

BUY IT IF YOU LIKE, BUT DON’T FENCE ME IN...

[dennisw]

Fine but enhanced enforcement has to be up and running and fully funded before any new amnesty. There are plenty off illegal alien criminals to start deporting before a new amnesty kicks in.

It’s a lot harder logistically to get deportees on airplanes and ships and out of America than it is to say - Hey y’all (20 million illegals) we passed a law and y’all can get your Z Visa amnesties now

[kilohertz]

We don’t need an amendment for “anchor babies”, just a court willing to put the right understanding on the “subject to the jursidiction” phrase ... declare that “sneakers-in” and their children are properly under the jurisdiction of whatever country they actually owe loyalty to. And then send them back there.

If a foreign army were to occupy a piece of American soil, would the camp followers’ children get U.S. Citizenship?

[org.whodat]

WE decide what is or is not constitutional, or did you forget?

No meathead the courts do that. If you think we do it by who we elect, then how come this amnesty bill was ever brought up??

[PlainOleAmerican]

YEP...BINGO!

NOW IT’S A MESSURE NOBODY WILL SUPPORT!

[Publius6961]

The anchor baby provision of the 14the amedment is based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says, "in the absence of any legislation passed by Congress,"

Clearly, something else is at play here, or we wouldn't be having this discussion.
Perhaps a lower appeal court ruling that was never challenged?

It would be useful to know both the original Supreme Court ruling cited, AND the subsequent ruling which rendered the first ineffectual...

[texastoo]

I live 9 miles from the Rio Grande. Sorry,but you have been misinformed. The feds. control the international border. The locals aren’t even invited to the parties.

[dennisw]

Have won Constitutional debates against both Yale and Harvard law professors...

Their students aren't even taught what "America is a sovereign nation" means. These Ivy League punk rockers fancy themselves citizens of the world

[PlainOleAmerican]

NO MEATHEAD... THE COURTS INTERPRET... THE PEOPLE DECIDE...

YOU HAVE BEEN READING THE MSM AGAIN!

[reg45]

Establishes an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Sorry Senator Imhofe (R) - Oklahoma, but that smells like pork to me.

[backtothestreets]

Thanks. We the citizens are to blame for amnesty. We are the ones that can stop amnesty for illegal aliens by first ending amnesty for our elected and their respective political organizations and their supporters.