Senators to Revive Immigration Bill

WASHINGTON (AP) ^ | 06-14-07 | DAVID ESPO

[Alaphiah123]

Key senators tentatively agreed on a plan to revive a stalled immigration bill on Thursday, aided by President Bush's support for a quick $4.4 billion aimed at "securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site."

Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said Republican and Democratic supporters of the bill were presenting their proposal to the Senate's top two leaders, who in turn arranged an early evening meeting to discuss it.

Precise details to be presented to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., were not disclosed.

In general, according to officials familiar with the discussions, Republicans and Democrats would each be accorded roughly a dozen chances to amend the measure, with the hope that they would then combine to provide the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster by die-hard opponents. The officials who described the emerging plan did so on condition of anonymity, saying the negotiations had been conducted in private.

The legislation has generated intense controversy, particularly for provisions envisioning eventual citizenship for many of the estimated 12 million immigrants now in the country unlawfully. The bill also calls for greater border security and a crackdown on the hiring of illegal employees.

"We're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept," Bush said, two days after launching a personal rescue mission.

Any agreement is subject to approval by Reid, who has said repeatedly it is up to Bush and Republicans to line up the votes needed to advance the measure if it is to be brought back to the Senate for debate. Reid, who has expressed misgivings about elements of the bill, sidetracked it last week after supporters gained only 45 of the 60 votes needed.

Republicans accounted for only seven of the 45 votes, and Reid said earlier this week, "We'll move on to immigration when they have their own act together."

Bush's decision to personally announce support for the accelerated funding reflected concerns expressed by Republican senators at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Several told him their constituents doubted the government was capable of following through on a commitment to enforce immigration laws.

In a letter sent to Bush before the meeting, Georgia Republican Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson wrote, "This lack of trust is rooted in the mistakes made in 1986, and the continued chaos surrounding our immigration laws. Understandably, the lack of credibility the federal government has on this issue gives merit to the skepticism of many about future immigration reform."

Under the legislation as drafted, money for border enforcement would be collected gradually as illegal immigrants pay the fines and fees needed to achieve legal status. The letter asked Bush to secure the border before other elements of the immigration measure go into effect, and the president agreed in his remarks to the Associated Builders and Contractors.

"One common concern is whether the government will provide the resources to meet the goals in the bill. They say, 'It's fine to talk about it, are you actually going to do something?'" he said.

"To answer these concerns I support an amendment that will provide $4.4 billion in immediate additional funding for securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site," he said.

"By matching our benchmarks with these critical funds, we're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept."

Two Republican supporters of the legislation, Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jon Kyl of Arizona, had previously proposed advanced funding.

"The moment the presidential signing pen meets the paper these funds will be available," Graham said in a statement welcoming Bush's remarks.

But Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., an opponent of the legislation, took a different view. "I appreciate the effort to fund border security, but there's simply no reason why we should be forced to tie amnesty to it. If the administration was serious about fulfilling the border security promises, then this funding should have been supported all along, not offered at the last minute to attract votes to a bad bill."

Even a decision to return the bill to the Senate floor does not guarantee its passage, given the intense opposition. "We've got people out there on both sides really ready to burn the place down," said Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the second-ranking Republican. "I don't think we ought to let that happen."

The calendar, too, presents obstacles to any attempt to pass the measure before the Senate begins a scheduled vacation in two weeks. Should they choose, critics of the immigration measure could slow progress on other measures Reid wants debated in the next two weeks. The effect would be to further reduce prospects for passage of the immigration bill.

[Loyolas Mattman]

Yeah sure. We should trust the thought processes of the geniuses that brought you Dubai ports, Harriet Miers, Alberto Gonzales, and “we’ll be greeted as liberators...”

Face it, the dems have years and years of experience playing the racial politics game. They’ll load up the perks and the pork and buy the immigrants' support. Conservatives don’t stand a chance if this monstrosity goes through.

[underbyte]

I was insanely mad the first go around and now all I can see is red.
This is a huge mistake on both the Dem and Republican sides and I believe those in the DC bubble have seriously underestimated the Anger of the American public on this one.

[NRA2BFree]

"We're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept," Bush said, two days after launching a personal rescue mission.

Why elPresidente, should we believe one word you say? You have done NOTHING to enforce the existing laws. You have made NO ATTEMPT to build the fence, even though the money was funded last year.

You leave OUR border patrol officers rotting in prison because they, unlike you, were trying to enforce the laws on the border. Then you tracked a low life Mexican drug dealer back to Mexico and paid him so he would come back to the US to testify against them. At the same time, gang activity in the US has exploded, and you want to give them amnesty? Sorry, Mr. Bush, I don't believe you and I don't trust you! I expected more out of a "Christian."

[xzins]

Under the legislation as drafted, money for border enforcement would be collected gradually as illegal immigrants pay the fines and fees needed to achieve legal status.

What in the world does this mean???? It sounds absolutely totally ignorant.

Leak proof borders and coasts FIRST....completed.

I want the name of the contractors and the start and finish dates of the work. And then tested for leaks.

[randog]

Will someone tell me why Frist was behind Lott becoming #2 in the Senate?

If you drink a lot, you look better standing next to a complete drunk. In this case, substitute "spineless wimp" for "drunk".

[oosamon]

This is a huge mistake on both the Dem and Republican sides and I believe those in the DC bubble have seriously underestimated the Anger of the American public on this one.

I hope you're right. This whole thing is ridiculous.

[Cyropaedia]

G*d. Another turncoat. Just what we need.

We need to let him hear from us BIGTIME.

[B. Chezwick]

There is nothing that the American public will be able to do about it once this bill becomes law.

[Cyropaedia]

If this Amnesty gets passed Republicans will essentially go the way of the Whigs in about a dozen or so years. That will be the GOP's master strategist's "legacy".

The sheer irony of the situation is simply unreal.

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for posting that info. Very interesting on what has happened in that part of TN. Disturbing.

The illegals are not here to be Americans. They are here to make us become their culture and insist we adapt to their needs. What a difference several generations makes.

Your statement bears repeating.

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks! That makes sense and is also disgusting.

[packrat35]

W has proven himself to be my “enemy”. He gets no more chances with me. I have washed my hands of him.

When he called his core conservative supporters basically “misunderstood rascists”, it was the last straw. I will defend him no more on any issue.

I pray each night that he is impeached and has to spend the remainer of his term defending himself. Maybe then, it will stop him from even further mischief. He has killed any trust I ever had for him. He is own his own!

[politicals]

Hispanics yes, historically, but the ratio has been significantly better is some states, some election cycles. In addition, it is not really fair to lump all Hispanics together. Again, Mexicans have voted more conservative in both of their most recent elections - much of it is simply an educational process here and the liberal media tells them over and over that the democratic mommy party will take better care of them. Republicans would be well served to target this population with a information campaign and some in the party realize the damage done by the extreme negative right. The anger should be with our government - if laws are not enforced, is it fair to expect that they would be respected by other country’s citizens? However, much of the anger drives people to the arms of the democrats.

[politicals]

Read back to my original comment or keep your vitriol to yourself. I simply made the point that if we effectively enact a system that allows instantaneous identification and screening for employers, then target illegal employers, the attraction and the problem will be drastically reduced allowing less enforcement dollars to accomplish much more. Effective use of my tax dollars.

[politicals]

Yet another simple bunch of words with no meaning. They have voted for change, but change cannot be immediate - in the mean time, how would you support your family if a job equivalent to an average middle class worker here paid you $100 - $150 per week and the groceries were as much or more than they cost in the US. Then you look north and you see opportunity and little or no enforcement of lax rules. Put yourself in the shoes and consider your same comment. I am not making excuse, but in order to solve a root cause problem, you must fully assess the problem. Also consider that a revolution is much more likely to land a Chavez type on our doorstep, so think again before advocating revolution. Like they always say - be careful what you ask for - you may just get it.

[politicals]

Again, I claim no immediate change, but the simple fact that given the opportunity to succeed many of these families to succeed. They do not like government handouts but are forced that direction as an illegal working class and become a drain on the system. If we attack on the employment end much of the illegal problem will disappear. People going through the legal system are much more likely to have success, as most hard-working Catholic families have historically in this country. How many successful, religious, family oriented people will vote for pro-abortion, anti-military, higher tax politicians - please tell me.

[primeval patriot]

Comprehensive immigration reform.

Comprehensive immigration reform.

Comprehensive immigration reform.

Comprehensive immigration reform.

Comprehensive immigration reform.

Comprehensive immigration reform.

Please, somebody throw some napalm on that thing.

[primeval patriot]

They do not like government handouts...

Then pack your bags and get out of my country.

[politicals]

All I can saw is walk in the other man’s shoes - if a law is not enforced, should it be respected? Do you think Mexico educates their citizens in US law? How many foreign countries do you know the details of their immigration or border laws?

Mexico - a dump - well parts are for sure, but is 100 years of corrupt rule with few very rich and many very poor possibly a cause? Can in individual citizen change a corrupt government? Have you seen the destruction of Venezuela in just the last 10 years?

Mexico has voted twice for the more conservative - pro business leader, but regardless of good intentions, change can be very difficult when much of the rest of the government is still run by the socialists and the corrupt families. You could get the hint when Mexico’s equivalent of Al Gore (Lopez Obrador) tried to declare the last election invalid and tried to take over through protest. In case you didn’t notice, it DID NOT succeed, so there is progress.

We are the ones responsible for our border, a far more organized, more powerful and more free country, but yet YOU have not kept the border safe. We all might like to, but we have families, jobs and businesses.

[politicals]

Not quite my friend, read the arguments when we took in all of the Vietnamese, yet today there is a poor population that votes democratic, but a larger population who started with nothing yet are now successful, well educated professionals or business owning republicans who would fight to their last breath for this country. There is always a gut response to oppose that that we are not familiar with - to protect, yet our country always comes through these times stronger and more productive. Something has to be done and politics as it is now cannot produce a solution any of us will fully agree with - I think where we go wrong is in saying nothing can work - if we learn from the past failings and make sure that what we do now will at least help address the primary security issue, then we have to make lemonade with the lemons we don’t like. You cannot get a 100% win, but if all you do is complain and oppose you are the conservative equivalent of Harry Reid. Do you really want to bury the Bush, Kyl version of this and wait for The Pelosi-Reid version to get shoved down our throats instead. You think some of the RINO’s won’t vote with them - guess again. If we can get improved borders, a true ID/employer verification system, we may have to live with some of the rest as these will help a lot. If you play cards, you will never win by folding every hand because maybe the next one will be a perfect winner.