Posted on 04/12/2002 8:07:18 AM PDT by gubamyster
Immigration legislation put on hold Measure would have allowed foreigners to stay in U.S. while applying for residency By Julia Malone
WASHINGTON BUREAU
Thursday, April 11, 2002
WASHINGTON -- An immigration measure to ease legalization for as many as 300,000 foreign residents that once seemed on track has been put on indefinite hold in the Senate, its supporters and opponents say.
The provision would have allowed spouses of Americans and some other illegal immigrants to remain in the United States while they apply for permanent residency green cards.
Under current law, foreigners must return to their home countries and wait for visas -- a wait that could last years.
The turnaround comes after public objections to what had been a quiet effort by the Republican House leadership to attach a provision to the popular border security bill, which had passed late last year on a unanimous vote. It mandates better tracking of foreign visitors.
The exception, which had squeaked through the House last month after heavy pressure from President Bush, triggered protest calls and e-mails to congressional offices. Critics and radio talk-show hosts called the provision, known officially as Section 245i of the Immigration Law, a "stealth amnesty" for illegal aliens.
Next week, as the Senate prepares to take up the border security bill, it will not consider the 245i language. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., chief sponsor of the border bill, has decided to drop the provision to speed up passage, said his spokeswoman, Stephanie Cutter.
Pro-immigrant groups said they do not know when Congress will again take up the legalization effort.
"Obviously they've been focused on the border security bill" more than 245i, said Angela Kelley, an official with the National Immigration Forum.
"I don't think there's any question that grass-roots mobilization has been a factor," said Rosemary Jenks, a lobbyist for NumbersUSA, a nonpartisan group that favors a reduction in immigration.
The constituent pressure also was cited by a spokeswoman for Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who led the opposition to 245i in the House and came within one vote of defeating it.
"Our office was inundated with phone calls and e-mails in the days after" the vote, said Tancredo's aide, Lara Kennedy. "Especially in our district office, you couldn't get through on the phone lines."
Then the measure reached the Senate, where it ran into the opposition of Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the senior Democrat and master of parliamentary delay tactics. Byrd, who was already slowing down action on the overall border bill, announced he would use his considerable powers to block the 245i legalization provision.
Kennedy, who has been trying to pass the border-tightening measure since December, has called a hearing of the Judiciary Committee on Friday to allow Byrd to air his concerns about border security. But as of now, legalization is off the Senate's agenda.
WHAT NERVE!!!!! Is GWB trying to lose the next election??? Maintaining our national integrity comes first...there is no protection for our other values if we don't define who is a citizen and stop accepting new residents until people who are already here legally have learned English, acclimated to our culture, and developed job skills and a work ethic. If they can't or won't do that, they can leave. We don't need the cheap labor. We don't need more people. (May I be crude?...We don't need this globalist wet dream!)
It seems to me that the GWB team is getting cute with the terrorism issue...using it to meet one of their goals which is counterproductive to the stated goal of fighting terrorism. Any more of this (ie: Kennedy opposing this vile legislation while the administration tries to sneak it by), and I'm putting a TED KENNEDY sign in my front yard!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.