Posted on 04/06/2006 8:33:43 AM PDT by STARWISE
WASHINGTON - In a last stab at compromise, Senate Republicans and Democrats reported progress Thursday toward agreement on legislation opening the way to legal status and eventual citizenship for many of the 11 million immigrants now in the U.S. illegally.
"There's been tremendous progress overnight," said Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) of Nevada, the Democratic leader, while Majority Leader Bill Frist also expressed optimism that a long-sought compromise might be at hand.
There was no immediate reaction from President Bush, who has made immigration legislation a key priority.
The developments occurred after Frist unveiled a new bill late Wednesday night on the subject as the Senate headed into a test vote on the most sweeping immigration bill in two decades.
In general, the legislation would provide for enhanced border security, regulate the flow of future immigrants into the United States and settle the legal fate of the estimated 11 million men, women and children already in the country.
It was the fate of the illegal immigrant population that proved hardest to legislate, and it has left the Senate on the verge of gridlock for days.
(snip)
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., as well as other key senators met before the vote to review terms of a proposed compromise.
In general, it would require illegal immigrants who have been in the United States between two years and five years to return to their home country briefly, then re-enter as temporary workers. They could then begin a process of seeking citizenship.
Illegal immigrants here longer than five years would not be required to return home; those in the country less than two years would be required to leave without assurances of returning, and take their place in line with others seeking entry papers.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
An Agency Rife With Fraud Would Administer Guest-worker Program
by William F. Jasper
April 2, 2006
As President Bush and his allies in the Senate push forward for amnesty for the 11-12 million illegal aliens already in the United States and for a guest-worker program that would bring in millions more “temporary” workers, they are withholding an important report that scathingly indicts the agency that would be processing the massive influx of aliens we would expect under the proposed programs.
An investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), the agency within the Department of Homeland Security in charge of adjudicating immigration benefits such as citizenship and permanent residency, is rife with fraud. The report has not been released, but a draft of the report obtained by the Washington Times says, “Adjudicators we spoke with said that management’s focused attention on reducing the backlog placed additional pressure on them to process applications faster, thereby increasing the risk of making incorrect decisions, including approval of potentially fraudulent applications.” The GAO report says that fraud in some categories of visas is as high as 30 percent.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who has seen the report, told his colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 2: “Let’s be realistic. Our government bureaucrats simply cannot implement a program for 11 million illegal aliens. You’d all be shocked if you learned about the internal fraud and abuse at the Citizenship and Immigration Service. I have been investigating the internal problems at CIS as well as their backlog of national security cases. The bureau doesn’t have an effective practice for reviewing these cases. Officials are being bribed. Visas are being given away. Green cards are being sold. CIS is giving out interim benefits, which is a precursor for additional privileges.... And we want this agency to handle the program in an effective manner? That’s unrealistic.”
It is beyond unrealistic; it is criminally irresponsible.
http://www.thenewamerican.com/artman/publish/article_3670.shtml
If this subject is so tedious for you, then why don't you visit the Word of the Day thread?
I was not really active in politics when the last amnesty went through, so I don't know how much fraud there was. I have no problem learning from any of those past mistakes and making sure those who apply this time can prove they were in the U.S. prior to 9/11. What kind of "proof" would satisfy you?
So stay home or vote for some 'not a chance in hell' 3rd party candidate. It's your vote - do what you want with it.
Me. . .I know that putting the Dems in power is far worse than anything the Repubs have done. I'll be voting for the Republican candidate. (Only way I wouldn't is if the candidate is so stinky he/she is worse than the Dem, and that isn't likely.)
The last argument that will sway me is the "we need the illegals to save us money". Because they don't save us money, they cost us billions in government services.
Is that so? Maybe not in GA, but there are folks in NY that would argue with that. Just yesterday there was the story of 40 illeal Chinese found in a container on the West coast.
Where I now live, in WV, there are are next to no illegals. No jobs, housing and limited social services. One of the reasons I moved here.
Like I said,it all depends on where you live.
Reid's "tremendous progress" probably included being faced with his 1993 Bill and comments.
I'm doing my dirty work in Ohio. DeWine is the first that needs to be shown the door and if it means replacing him with a dem for the next 6 years so be it.
We can show up in 2012 with a true conservative, one who will not ignore the will of the voters who put he or she in office.
Voting for the current crop of Democrat-Lite Republicans is no different than continuing to eat at a restaurant that spits in your food but denies it because the restaurant across the street spits in your food and admits it.
LOL! I used a real one, but I may just print out some of those and put them in envelope, as well.
So you are presuming we can make it through under Dem rule. Post 9/11, I'm not very confident of that.
No one will, because there isn't a plausible reply. Well...there is one as our cities are swallowed up:
Apparently you haven't been too negatively affected by the hordes of criminal invaders coming across the border. I live in Cochise County, right on the border, one of the most popular crossing spots for illegals. Me and my neighbors have had a terrible time dealing with this invasion as the invaders trash our county, beat people, steal cars and trucks, tear up our desert, commit crimes, vandalize, destroy, kill local residents in fiery car wrecks while fleeing law enforcement, flood our neighborhoods with drugs, etc. No amnesty! No rewards! This is not negotiable. Not to me.
Are you kidding?! This thread was GREAT for finding out who all the THIRD PARTY posters were - I'm enjoying myself quite a bit : )
LOL If you think you are getting screwed now, just wait until you get your wish and the Dems get control.
"I am told by Hill sources the Senate compromise does indeed include the fence"
What difference does a fence make? Everyone here illegally can stay, and then 400,000 more a year can come legally as guest workers. The remaining ones can just walk around the fence and buy documents saying they've been here for 6 years.
Total and complete FRAUD.
Taxing our public education system, public hospitals, SSI, Medicaid, WIC, food stamps, billions in untaxed remittances, etc., etc., ad infinitum.
This is not xenophobia any longer, it's xenonausea.
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