Posted on 03/08/2002 1:24:33 PM PST by sarcasm
Friday, March 08, 2002 - WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom Tancredo takes credit for thwarting the Bush administration's last effort to offer partial amnesty to thousands of illegal residents, but Thursday the outspoken immigration foe said he may have been outmaneuvered by the White House.
President Bush has struck a deal with the House leadership to place legislation that offers an extension of amnesty on its consent calendar before Bush heads to Mexico for a state visit next week, the Colorado Republican said. That action should ensure quick House passage of legislation that Bush has repeatedly sought from Congress. It would allow an undocumented person to receive legal standing, such as a valid green card, by filing a declaration with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It presumably also would require the person to have been in the United States by a certain date and have filed a declaration with the INS from an appropriate sponsor, such as a relative or employer, and pay a $1,000 penalty. "The terms are still up in the air," said Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration, a group that has been allied with Tancredo. "We've heard to the effect that the president wants something to bring down to Mexico." The initial Bush proposal, designed exclusively for Mexicans, once was high on the president's legislative wish list, but it was delayed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. However, as the president noted Wednesday in a speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, he now is pushing for the extension of the amnesty program known by the section of immigration law that covers it, Section 245I. The president hailed it as a way to reunite family, separated by the border. "If you believe in family values, if you understand the worth of family and the importance of family, let's get 245I out of the United States Congress and give me a chance to sign it," Bush told the chamber members. Tancredo, the head of a congressional caucus on immigration issues and proponent of halting virtually all immigration, said he had blocked a previous attempt by Bush to push an extension of the amnesty program through the House. But this time, he said House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., had agreed to place the issue on the suspension, or consent, calendar, making it difficult to defeat the proposal. The Senate might be more favorable to the bill than the House, expanding the numbers of individuals who can apply, Tancredo said.
This is the PERFECT Revolt! This is a very strong achilles heel for Presidente Bush y Fox and their dastardly plans. How could the President counter the angry claims of those who spent a lot of money and time to go through the line in an orderly fashion LEGALLY; Class Action Suit! Great Idea!
Bush goes to the end of the line, and, taking them by the hand, lets his 'friends' cut through to the front for their ice cream, ignoring all the others who queued up in order and under the rules. How can Bush be 'ANGRY' at the INS today over the issuance of visas to terrorists post facto. He himself views the who INS process and federal law as a farce.
Get this brilliant idea to Tancredo!
Add my family's 30 votes to those the Republicans have lost in future elections.
EBUCK
Agree, some of these pro-illegal alien responses are painfully pathetic!
Coming to a neighborhood near you soon.....
EBUCK
Let's see: last night Bill O'Reilly castigated it; so did Alan Keyes, who managed to muzzle steve moore, whose only debating tactic is to start screaming in the middle of someone else being perfectly rational - in this, Tom Tancredo.
Tancredo did really well in both cases - intelligent, reasonable, restrained - the other guys had no answer for "why are you rewarding criminals?" other than the lame "well, they're here now".
Senator Tancredo. Nice ring, huh?
There is not a LEGAL IMMIGRANT around who did not incur costs such as medical tests, police background tests, time off work, interviews at consulates, lawyers fees, fedexes, visa fees, international phone calls, photocopies, stamps, photos, etc. in preparation for legally coming to the United States.
There must be millions of them.
There must be a move to start a massive CLASS ACTION SUIT by LEGAL IMMIGRANTS to recover their costs in an effort to oppose the carte blanche for illegals which Bush and House Dems and GOPs granted yesterday.
This will pull the rug out from under the White House and pro-illegal immigration allies in the House.
There is no logical or strong argument that could ever counter the angry claim made by these LEGAL IMMIGRANTS. Please, some Congressman or Senator step up to the plate!
I've been listening to Rush for the last 15 minutes or so and he has been talking about this and seems pretty negative on it. Said something earlier about it being very dangerous (security wise). And now just said it was morally wrong and politically wrong. He had a couple of calls on it, one definitely negative and the other mostly negative.
EBUCK
I hope we as Americans in trouble, can count on Tennessee freepers to make sure the voters know this, by showing up at all his public speaking engagements and freeping him with his uncaring and unseemly behaviour. Tie this legislation around his neck like an arbatross.
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