Posted on 04/12/2008 9:56:56 AM PDT by Delacon
Illegal immigration continues to be one of the top issues among conservatives and all Americans across the country, and why wouldn't it be? Despite the rhetoric coming from some Washington leaders on the need to secure our borders and clamp down on the flow of illegal aliens, little to nothing has been done. Bills are passed calling for more border patrol agents -- then, only a fraction is actually hired. Bills are passed calling for a security fence on America's southern border -- then, political moves are made to defund it and slow its construction. Now, another bill has emerged in Congress which actually has bipartisan support and addresses some of the core concerns of the American people. As the debate heats up, we will soon see which politicians are on the side of security and the rule of law and which need to be voted out in November.
As noted in a Human Events article by James R. Edwards Jr., "House Democratic leaders face a bitter civil war over immigration issues. Blue Dog Democrats, who tend to be more conservative, stand behind H.R. 4088, the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act (SAVE), but the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Joe Baca (Calif.), and open-borders Democrats favor some form of amnesty for the 12 million illegal aliens."
The SAVE Act is sponsored by Blue Dog Rep. Heath Shuler, (D-N.C). It takes an enforcement-only approach to illegal immigration and shutting off the "jobs magnet."
The centerpiece of H.R. 4088 is phasing in the E-Verify program. Over four years, all employers would eventually use this web-based system. The Shuler bill adds 8,000 Border Patrol officers, border security technology, federal judge slots, and 1,200 interior enforcement agents.
Investor's Business Daily (IBD), in an editorial supporting the SAVE Act, describes the E-verify program as follows:
E-verify is a Web-based system to cross-reference Social Security numbers and other pertinent information. Some 56,000 employers already use the system.
The system screens all applicants, so racial profiling is not an issue. As we've noted, in states where local authorities have ramped up enforcement, illegal immigration has declined dramatically, and many of those already here have left under a process some have called self-deportation. The risks soon exceed the benefits.
The bill is cosponsored by 49 Democrats and 98 Republicans -- a true bipartisan effort. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is leading the fight to prevent the bill from coming to the House floor for a vote. So, even though the bill is authored by a Democrat, many House Republicans are now supporting a "discharge petition" which would force a vote on the measure. The IBD editorial notes:
An outraged Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner said in support of the discharge petition:
"In just the past year, this (Democratic) majority voted to cut funding for the border fence, opened the door to illegal immigrants to receive taxpayer-funded services without showing proof of citizenship and overturned a successful GOP proposal to prevent taxpayer-funded federal benefits from being awarded to illegal immigrants."
If 33 of the original Democratic co-sponsors of the SAVE Act who have not signed the discharge petition were to do so, the bill would proceed to the floor where serious debate on a major issue could begin. But that would require Democrats' going on record in an election year and doing more than blowing smoke on border security.
"Blowing smoke" is a key point. A discharge petition requires 218 signatures to bring about a floor vote. According to IBD, the current petition has 185 signatures. However, of the 49 Democrats who have cosponsored the SAVE Act, only 10 of them have signed the petition. What's going on with the other 39?
You can help get this bill moving by telling your representative to support the SAVE Act. Just click on the link below and encourage your friends and colleagues to do the same.
AS OF APRIL 8, 2008
NumbersUSA.com-—ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ALERT-—force vote on SAVE Act (HR 4088)
Your faxes and phone calls during Congress’s Easter break delivered four more signers of the Discharge Petition to force a U.S. House floor vote on Rep. Heath Shuler’s SAVE Act (H.R. 4088):
SIGNERS Alaska — Rep. Young New York — Rep. Walsh Ohio — Rep. Tiberi Pennsylvania — Rep. Kanjorski
Out of 435 Members of the House, 185 have now signed the Discharge Petition (rarely used procedure to move legislation that is blocked by House leadership). But it will take 218 signers to force Speaker of the House Pelosi to bring the SAVE Act to a vote. We have 33 more signers to go (as of April 8).
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Below are the Representatives identified by NumbersUSA Capitol Hill Team as the most susceptible to your urging. If your Representative is not a signer, you need to keep pushing even if he/she is not on the lists below. But the lists below contain our top possibilities, worthy of cross-district and cross-state efforts.
TOP DEMOCRAT TARGETS These are House Democrats who: won their last election with 51% or less of the vote, are co-sponsors of the SAVE Act have not signed the discharge petition
Ron Klein (FL22) Jim Marshall (GA08) Melissa Bean (IL08) Baron Hill (IN09) Patrick Murphy (PA08) Steven Kagen (WI08)
SECOND-PRIORITY DEMOCRAT TARGETS These are House Democrats who: won their last election with only 52-56% of the vote, are cosponsors of the SAVE Act have not signed the discharge petition
Leonard Boswell (IA03)- 52% Jason Altmire (PA04) - 52% Kirsten Gillibrand (NY20) – 53% Charlie Melancon (LA03)-55% Joe Sestak (PA07)-56%
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
PRIORITY REPUBLICAN TARGETS
About 90% of House Republicans have followed their Party Leadership’s request that they sign this Discharge Petition. These are the remaining House Republicans who have not signed the petition (as of April 8).
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
ALABAMA Mike Rogers (AL03)
CALIFORNIA Devin Nunes (CA21) George Radanovich (CA19)
FLORIDA Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL18) Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL21) Mario Diaz-Balart (FL25)
IDAHO Bill Sali (ID01)
ILLINOIS Tim Johnson (IL15)
INDIANA Mark Souder (IN03)
NEW JERSEY Frank LoBiondo (NJ02) Scott Garrett (NJ05)
NEW YORK Vito Fossella (NY13) John McHugh (NY23) Thomas Reynolds (NY26) Randy Kuhl (NY29)
MICHIGAN Vernon Ehlers (MI03) Fred Upton (MI06)
MISSISSIPPI Charles Pickering (MS03)
OHIO David Hobson (OH07) Deborah Pryce (OH15)
TEXAS Ron Paul (TX14)
WASHINGTON Richard Hastings (WA04) Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA05)
WEST VIRGINIA Shelley Moore Capito (WV02)
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
“My understanding of “E-Verify” is that you’ll have to be in the data base compiled by the feds in order to work. That’s more than troublesome. What if you’re not on their approved list?”
Troublesome? How? An antiquated and completely ineffectual system is already in place. You need 2 IDs to get a job. Unfortunately the system is laughable with fake ID technology being what it is these days. E-verify just brings the old system into the 21st century. Approved list? It isn’t like you have to qualify to work. You just have to be a citizen. I am ok with that.
TY Liz. People if your rep is on that list, please contact them. The article I posted has a link at the bottom that makes it very easy for you do so.
Never ever legalize these wise guys and miscreants. It’s bad enough their anchor babies are citizens and will plague this nation. So many are hoodlums and dropouts even if their illegal immigrant parents work hard
btt
So glad you put up the thread-—thanks.
BS, it amounts to no more than seeing if you have a valid social security number, and you are the only one using the number.
I disagree. It’s giving up liberty for the sake of security.
Ping!
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