Posted on 06/26/2007 1:46:01 PM PDT by hardback
June 26, 2007 – Brownback Immigration Update
Senator Brownback voted in favor of cloture on the motion to proceed to the immigration bill today. That means he voted to bring the bill back to the floor for debate and for amendments to be offered.
This does NOT mean that Senator Brownback supports the immigration bill itself – he feels the bill needs to be improved.
Brownback opposes amnesty, and believes first and foremost in securing our borders and ending illegal immigration. Brownback voted to debate the bill in the Senate but is withholding support for the bill until the amendment process is complete.
Senator Brownback has not and will not support giving Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants. The bill in its current form denies Social Security benefits for any Social Security credits earned while performing unauthorized work. This provision is actually "tougher" than Senator Ensign's amendment from last year because it denies Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants using fraudulent documents to obtain work as well as work performed on a legitimate, though expired, work permit.
Senator Brownback fully supports securing our border with a fence. He voted for the Secure Fence act in the 109th Congress and voted to fund it as well .
The current bill is imperfect and Senator Brownback looks forward to the amendment process, which he hopes will improve the bill – though efforts to offer amendments to improve the bill have thus far been thwarted by the Democratic majority.
The Senate immigration bill represents a very tenuous compromise, which could significantly change over the course of the debate.
The bill changes significantly every day and for this reason, Senator Brownback is waiting to see what the bill looks like when it comes time for final passage before reaching a conclusion on how he will vote.
That said, Senator Brownback has stated that he will support the bill if it –
1) effectively secures the border through fencing, enhanced electronic surveillance, increased number of border patrol agents, and unmanned aerial vehicles;
2) implements a strong worksite enforcement system that prevents undocumented immigrants from getting jobs; and
3) fixes our immigration system going forward by ending chain migration, creating a legal temporary worker program, and eliminating the national security risk of having 12 million undocumented immigrants in our country.
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The Senate bill would require that the DHS Secretary certify in writing that DHS has achieved "operational control" over the entire US-Mexico border and that the following border and worksite enforcement measures are funded, in place, and in operation before initiating a guest worker program or issuing Z visas to current undocumented immigrants:
20,000 (CBP) Border Patrol hired Construction of 300 miles of vehicle barriers and 370 miles of fencing 105 ground-based radar and camera towers along the southern border Deployment of 4 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and supporting systems The ending of catch-and-release Resources to detain up to 31,500 aliens per day on an annual basis The use of secure and effective identification tools to prevent unauthorized work. The receiving and processing and adjudicating of applications for Z status.
The Senate bill would provide:
National Strategy for Border Security. 14,000 new border patrol agents by 2012 – doubling the current force. 2,500 new Customs and Border Protection officers by 2012. 3,000 new DHS investigators by 2010. 24,000 new detention beds by 2010. Enhanced Surveillance – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), cameras, sensors, satellites, radar coverage, and other technologies.
The Senate bill is not amnesty – it requires undocumented immigrants would have to leave the US and apply from their home country for a green card.
The Senate bill also:
Ends chain migration. Institutes merit-based immigration system geared more toward highly skilled and educated immigrants. Creates robust worksite enforcement Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) in which SSA shares information w/ DHS to allow them to go after immigrants fraudulently using SSNs to gain employment. Increases employer sanctions. Employers who hire illegal workers will face stiff new criminal and civil penalties – the maximum criminal penalty for a pattern or practice of hiring illegals will increase 25-fold, from $3,000 per alien to $75,000 per alien. Guest worker program is truly temporary - no path to citizenship.
There are some good things about the bill such as border security and worksite enforcement, and there are some bad aspects of the bill such as the requirement that undocumented immigrants be given a legal status without having passed a background check.
Brownback has an amendment to fix this loophole in the bill
The issue of illegal immigration is far too important to avoid. Doing so is irresponsible and will only make the problem worse.
We need to secure our broken borders and fix our broken system.
America is a nation of both justice and compassion – the two are not mutually exclusive, but reconciling the two is very difficult in light of the grim reality of the immigration problem we currently face.
It would be nice if simply enforcing the laws already on the books would solve the problem but it won't, and we can't afford to maintain the status quo.
For example, IF we shut down the border to where no one crosses illegally AND successfully end 100 % of visa overstays AND double the number of agents responsible for deporting illegal immigrants, THEN it will still take 25 to 30 years to deport the estimated 11 to 13 million illegal aliens currently in the US.
As a matter of national security we can't wait 30 years to figure out who is in our country illegally.
Just say NO to Illegal Alien Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!
U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121
U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121
White House comments: (202) 456-1111
Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep
Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Posted for reference
(repost from previous threads)
Brownback Honored by National Council of La Raza {Flashback)
http://brownback.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=181388&&year=2002&;; ^ | February 27, 2002
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1743169/posts
Former Pres. Clinton, KARL ROVE - Speakers at NCLR (LA RAZA)
Annual ConferenceNATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA
| Jun 21, 2006 | Diana Tejada
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1658410/posts
(See post 13, scheduled speakers for Monday July 10, 2006)
BULL! If Senator Brownback is opposed to amnesty, as he claims, then he should be opposed to any attempt to bring any bill of this sort to a vote at all.
Brownback sold us out today and is completely unfit to serve as a Senator, or President.
He voted for cloture, will vote against the bill itself and then claim, “Hey, don’t blame me, I voted against it.”
These arrogant SOBs have very, very much underestimated us.
Brownback has pixxed on your shoes and is now trying to tell you it’s rain.
Brownback is an idiot. Amendments can’t fix this bill.
And even if they could, they’ll just be stripped out in conference. Or, as Ted Kennedy said, they’ll be repealed as soon as a Democratic president gets in.
Dear Brownback,
You turned your back on me in this issue.
Bite me.
Wasn’t Huckabee the one who said it needs to be taken out behind the barn and killed with a dull axe?
Bombard this idiot’s office with calls, whatever state you’re from:
Brownback — 202-224-6521
ping
“Brownback sold us out today and is completely unfit to serve as
a Senator, or President.”
At least Brownback is consistent.
Surely he’s on his way to another award from La Raza.
Add Vice President to your list as well, I will go for Mitt.
And just how long does Brownback expect this resriction to stay in force once America is flooded with 12 or 15 or 20 million newly minted faux citizens who will immediately vote to help themselves to it?
Just how long will it be before our current system of a socialist-lite (Republican) and socialist (Democrat) party is replaced with a system of a socialist oligarch and Communist party, just like they have in Mexico?
And just how much does he think America will be able to help third world countries once we are pulled down into the same sewer?
WEASEL WORDS. A vote for cloture is a vote for amnesty, and Brownback thinks he is going to have it both ways.
I am in favor of not only ousting all Repbublicans who vote for this bill, but if it is revealed that the White House has made pork deals to Senators, I hope GWB gets what he deserves.
Would this be the same Huckabee who said it was cruel to deny illegal aliens access to public welfare in Arkansas?
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