ping
This old fart must go!!!!
Juan McCain needs to go. Illegals have bankrupted AZ and innocent people are being killed including cop.
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | February 28, 2007
WASHINGTON — Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John McCain are set to introduce a revised version of their sweeping plan to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, in a bill that’s likely to restart a tense debate in Congress.
The measure, which is being drafted in consultation with the White House, will largely mirror the immigration bill that stalled last year, according to lawmakers and aides involved in the process. That measure was blocked primarily because House Republican leaders were adamantly opposed to provisions that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to become US citizens.
Though negotiations are still ongoing, this year’s bill will most likely leave in place the 700-mile border fence, the creation of which was signed into law last year. It would also double the size of the US Border Patrol and add new means to crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants, a further attempt to assuage concerns about the nation’s porous borders.
But the bill is likely to enrage advocates of a get-tough approach to immigration by allowing most of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants already in this country to earn legalized status. Early drafts of the bill would allow them to become citizens after about 12 years if they meet requirements such as learning English, passing a criminal background check, and paying back taxes and a $2,000 fine.
“Those who have lived here, who have basically played by the rules, worked hard . . . they, I believe, ought to be able to adjust their status,” said Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat. “This is a complex issue and demands a comprehensive approach. I don’t expect it to be easy sledding.”
The bill, set to be introduced in the House and Senate as soon as next week, will also include a “guest worker” program for immigrants to work in the United States under temporary visas — an oft-stated goal of President Bush.
The Bush administration is dispatching Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the issue today — appearances that will be closely watched for signals from the White House. Chertoff and Gutierrez have also been meeting privately with key lawmakers to discuss the legislation.
A wide range of Democratic and Republican lawmakers have said the White House must assert itself in crafting the bill for it to have any chance of passing Congress this year. McCain, an Arizona Republican, said the Bush administration’s involvement is a big boost.
“There’s active participation,” McCain said. “There’s a window of opportunity. I don’t know when it becomes impossible, but I know that this is the greatest opportunity — right now, in the next several months.”
Babeu is the Pinal County Sherrif - Pinal County is the area between Tucson and Phoenix, over 100 miles north of the border.
Border Ping
US troops IN Me-he-co would be even better, Senor.
We need to list out all the Phoenix police officers who have been killed or wounded by illegals. That’s one of the things fueling the anger here.