Posted on 04/12/2006 12:22:34 PM PDT by neverdem
The following statement was issued to clarify the felony provision in H.R. 4437.
America is a nation with borders and borders matter. We are a nation of citizens and citizenship matters. We are also a nation of laws and laws matter. We have an important immigrant heritage and honoring that heritage matters.
In December, the House of Representatives passed a strong border security bill aimed at securing our borders and preventing illegal immigration.
However, on December 16, 2005, there were 191 House Democrats who voted to oppose House Republican efforts to reduce the crime of unlawful presence in the United States from a felony to a misdemeanor. Instead, they voted to make felons out of all of those who remain in our country illegally.
While we are disappointed with the House Democrats lack of compassion and the continued efforts by Senator Reid to block action on immigration legislation so that Congress can proceed to conference, it remains our intent to produce a strong border security bill that will not make unlawful presence in the United States a felony.
I don't listen to Savage. I am just sick of the spineless politicians who call themselves republicans. They are no different than the dems. I am sick of them. The more I read about what repubs are doing on this immigration issue the sicker I get!
What would be achieved by passing such legislation? Do you really want to put illegal aliens who have not committed other crimes in federal prison at tax payer expense?
If you think the money we are currently paying illegals on social benefits to excessive just wait until we have to pick up all the costs of incarceration.
The last thing we need to do is heap more litigation and delays at this problem or in the removal process.
As point of fact, it is already is misdemeanor to enter the country illegally, 8 USC 1325. Yet no one gets prosecuted, not because no one cares but because the sheer volume would cripple the already overcrowded courts within the first week.
We are way beyond solving this through the court system. We need an expedited removal system with very limited due process.
Evidently this occured when the Dims were on the "we must secure our borders" fkisk for political hay making. Now, they are the ones trying to put so many loopholes in the proposals that Osama Bin Laden would be welcomed and be deemed untouchable.
... there were 191 House Democrats who voted to oppose House Republican efforts to reduce the crime of unlawful presence in the United States from a felony to a misdemeanor. Instead, they voted to make felons out of keep felony status on all of those who remain in our country illegally.
So the Dems wanted status quo on the felonies while the Pubs wanted to liberalize the current law. Go figure.
What the politicians don't understand is that "making illegal immigration a felony" is the political "goose the lays golden eggs" for law-abiding U.S. citizens who vote.
And both parties are trying to pass the goose to the other party, not realizing it's value.
Pubbies are worthless traitors. A pox on all of their houses.
I just called Frist and Hastert and made my voice heard, loud and clear. Perhaps this is what we must do to save our country.
The more pressure we keep on Mexico, immigration-wise, the more reformers
inside of Mexico can be emboldened and empowered to scale back monopolists'
abuses down there which keep our own country flooded with economic refugees.
Here's an interesting new thread on new legal reform progress that finally
emerged in Mexico I think as a result of immigration reform's failure:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1611677/posts
We can make a difference for our sake, and their's as well. Isn't it the
neighborly thing to do?
from my Freeper profile -
As a right wing democrat who doesn't have a party anymore, I mostly vote for the stupid, politically inept, anti labor Republicans, because I feel they do less damage to the country and family, and are more suppportive of our Constitution, than are the Socialists,who want to destroy this county.
Now I can't count on the useless Republicans to do the right thing on immigration. - Tom
Some republican put the felony language into the bill to begin with. It is foolish to blame the democrats when they take advantage of a major republican screw-up.
That's what Republicans get for trying to rush through a piece of legislation.
This doesn't make sense. Everyone has been saying that illegal entry is currently a misdemeanor, not a felony. But this statement contradicts that.
Here's your serious answer: Gridlock. Which in recent history produces the best overall results for conservatives. When the two branches of government can't agree, they can't give our rights away as easily and they don't spend our money as fast.
The Republican "Leadership".......ALWAYS on the defensive.
Because his Senate cohort, Reid, was behind what the House Democrats did and they did it to prevent agreement in conference between the House and Senate bills.
While we are disappointed with the House Democrats lack of compassion and the continued efforts by Senator Reid to block action on immigration legislation so that Congress can proceed to conference,
Exactly! Why are Republicans so just plain stupid that they could not see the upshot of the "felony" language? They are just politically stupid. Too bad we don't have DeLay running the show any more.
Not many Americans feel comfortable with illegals demanding citizenship in the streets, claiming the Americas are all one, there are no borders, etc.
Their true motives have been exposed. It is not about "rights", it is about amnesty and an end to this Republic as a nation of laws.
So let me get this straight: You're angry about the current immigration situation, so you want gridlock, which will keep the situation as it is? Uh, ok...(???)
And if you think picking judges for the SCOTUS, tax cuts, immigration reduction (see below, and look up the facts) are all the result of gridlock, you must be living in the other of Edwards' Two Americas.
If gridlock means no amnesty, then it's better than what we're looking at. The tax cuts are marginal at best, they make no real difference in the overall tax burden... what is it, 1% difference? Nothing to write home about. And of course spending is raging out of control and there no excuse you can dredge up for that.
So you just know what will and what will not become "gridlocked"? Somehow, I don't think Congress--which will have to pass bills in order to look like they're doing their job--will step to your marching orders here.
The tax cuts are marginal at best, they make no real difference in the overall tax burden... what is it, 1% difference? Nothing to write home about.
The single most ridiculous comment I've ever read on this site.
And of course spending is raging out of control and there no excuse you can dredge up for that.
DO you have ANY idea how Congress works at all? The reason spending is out of control is because everyone in Congress demands their piece of the pie--do you think that they just will magically keep the country running without passing any spending bills for 2-4 years?
You've got a lot to learn about how Washington works. Your fantasies of having everyone just standing around and doing nothing have nothing to do with reality.
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