Immigration bill fails key test, is withdrawn

CNN ^ | June 7, 2007

[keepitreal]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A broad immigration bill to legalize millions of people unlawfully in the United States failed a crucial test vote in the Senate Thursday, a stunning setback that could spell its defeat for the year.

The vote was 45-50 against limiting debate on the bill, 15 short of the 60 that the bill's supporters needed to prevail. Most Republicans voted to block Democrats' efforts to bring the bill to a final vote.

The legislation, which had been endorsed by President Bush, would tighten borders, institute a new system to prevent employers from hiring undocumented workers and give as many as 12 million illegal immigrants a pathway to legal status.

Senate Majority Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who had made no secret of his distaste for parts of the bill, said he would withdraw it but keep working toward eventual passage

[Cacique]

We get a breather, but this is not over yet. We will have to focus on getting those who hire illegals punished.

[capt. norm]

I think a lot of the pols were hoping they could keep immigration out of the presidential campaign, but it’s not working.

[Travis McGee]

Let’s not forget to punish the RINO traitors as well. Run them out of office as a lesson to the others.

[freeangel]

I keep getting the feeling the Senate will call a middle of the night vote, just so the idiots’ constituents can’t see what’s happening.

[sgtbono2002]

would tighten borders, institute a new system to prevent employers from hiring undocumented workers and give as many as 12 million illegal immigrants a pathway to legal status
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bill would not have tightened the borders. The visitors would have had a Z Visa and they could walk over wothout wading. We can tighten the borders just by enforcing existing laws.
It would have given as many as 20 t0 25 million illegals a pathway too legal status and their friends and family a free pass.

It would have cost in the trillions.

It was insane. anyone that voted for it should be voted out of the Senate. Actually out of the country,but thats wishful thinking.

[Piranha]

Great. NOW who’s going to do the jobs Americans won’t do?

[Cicero]

We will have to focus on getting those who hire illegals punished. Just so. Much more effective than a border fence, although probably that needs to be done.

We need to enforce the laws against hiring them, with fines and imprisonment if necessary for employers who break the law. You can't throw 12 million illegals in jail, but you can throw their employers in jail, and that will eliminate their main reason for sneaking over the border.

We also need to eliminate free schooling for illegal children, instate tuition rates for illegal college students, free welfare, food stamps, and medical care. Out of compassion we probably should make an exception for life-threatening medical emergencies, but for nothing else.

Each illegal that we put in school, give scholarships to, give welfare to, impoverishes our country. This is ludicrous, because Mexico is a rich country, loaded with natural resources: oil, precious metals, beautiful beaches for tourism, agricultural land, and so forth. And full of billionaires as well. They need to be encouraged to solve their own problems.

We also need to eliminate drivers licenses for illegals. And we need to go after the crooks who sell them fake IDs and social security numbers.

Back around the time of the last amnesty, state and local authorities stopped enforcing the laws and gave employers of illegals a free pass, and now we see the end results.

[3AngelaD]

It may be on its last legs, but there is no stake through its heart yet. Time to call everyone who voted against closure and thank them, and say, “We’re still watching.” No slick tricks in the middle of the night; no attaching the entire thing to another bill that has to pass. I still have my list of the amnesty SoBs to whose primary opponents I am going to send money.

[Liberal Bob]

Great. NOW who’s going to do the jobs Americans won’t do?

I thought we outsourced those to Mexico. I'm confused, I'm liberal :(

[claudiustg]

And there would be no point in looking for illegals since the vast majority would no longer actually be illegal.

Many Senators are signally their distress at this monstrosity being set aside, but secretly they are breathing a sigh of relief. Don’t believe for a minute they want this thing brought back up.

[Dutch Tulip]

GOD BLESS AMERICA!! Stand up , raise your hands to the heavens and thank GOD !! This is the greatest day for America since that sorry scum clinton was impeached for lieing to a federal judge (Scooter lied to a lousy agent and got 2 1/2 years!! and that sorry bush is weaseling on libby’s pardon).
That McCain is politically finished!!! Cornyn is a damned hero here. He tried to block Z visa’s for felons and terrorists. For God sakes!!! He lost but he turned 10 senators againt this sack of Sh&t AMNESTY AMNEASTY AMNESTY bill.
Now let’s find out those that supported this piece of junk amnesty bill and politically remove them. This is a great day — thank you Heavenly Father. That Amnesty is dead.

[growlingrizzlybear]

I’ve heard some of the congress critters moaning about all of us who won’t go along with their comprehensive bill. I say, they need to understand that the reason many of us won’t support their comprehensive plans is that our government has no political capital to spend when it comes to this subject - simply, we don’t trust them.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I’m not interested in being “fooled” again with a comprehensive bill that will be selectively implemented - do the amnesty part but not the enforcement part. So, I am in favor of enforcement first and then after congress has proven they can do enforcement, I would be happy to add the other considerations to our immigration policy.

“Wheres the fence?”

[larlaw]

I will NEVER support any Republican who supported this traitorous amnesty bill and will do what I can to work against them. This includes the President - a man who I voted for twice, bent over backwards to defend, and always gave the benefit of the doubt. I think “betrayal” is an accurate word to describe what President Bush has done to his loyal voters, his party, and his country;

[Biblebelter]

Let’s not forget to punish the RINO traitors as well. Run them out of office as a lesson to the others.

You got that right. There must be payback. I have voted Republican my entire life, but when I did I never thought that any Republican would end up in bed with Teddy Kennedy who is as great enemy as this country has inside its own government.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Here's a chance for Giuliani and Romney to score some points. Each has spoken and can speak with some credibility about the systems needed to track who is within and who is without of the United States. What needs to be authorized first is an information system platform which is capable of supporting the tracking of individuals by  the border patrol, ICE and the state department. Once that is done you can hang any kind of policy on such a system. But to pass a policy change when the logistical requirements will not be in place for years is a joke. There were many strong criticisms of the proposed legislation as it first emerged. Some of the provisions would not take effect for 7-8 years. Funding for a GAO evaluation of the effectiveness of certain aspects of the legislation was not to appear in the budget for 6-7 years (almost guaranteeing that no one would ever know, in precise terms, how much of a failure the Congress had produced.)

At some recent budget hearing is was disclosed that the border patrol spends about $14M on UPS and Fed Ex - moving paper file records from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. As an example - if an alien was caught in San Diego and deported to Mexico, then was captured crossing in El Paso, the San Diego office would UPS a carton full of documents to El Paso for further development of the record on the individual. An outrageously stupid way to waste time and money - they apparently have such antiquated information systems that no one thought to scan the paper files into a database and create an electronic record, obviating the UPS shipment. That's the kind of world we are talking about - an understaffed, under budgeted, low technology bureaucracy which is fighting a problem which is almost completely intractable without modern information systems.

The kind of technology that millions come into contact with every day (e.g., Fed Ex...) is what's needed - and even the non-tech oriented voter knows this. I have heard Giuliani correctly diagnose the problem, and I know Romney can grasp it and explain it as well. The problem with congress is that geezers like Kennedy - who have done all they could to muck up immigration in this country - are precisely the wrong people to broker a deal to remedy the situation. There is a big prize waiting out there for the Presidential candidate who can focus on this essential element of the solution.

[Travis McGee]

Amen and amen!

[crazyshrink]

Yes. Now WHEN is that fence being built? How high? How long?

An aside. Anyone notice CNN is calling this bill amnesty? Read their description of it once.

[oldbrowser]

Let’s not forget to punish the RINO traitors as well. Run them out of office as a lesson to the others.

You're going to punish the Rinos by shooting yourself in the foot?

President Hitlery is going to love you!!!

[SIDENET]

You got that right. There must be payback. I have voted Republican my entire life, but when I did I never thought that any Republican would end up in bed with Teddy Kennedy who is as great enemy as this country has inside its own government.

I'm certainly not forgetting scumbags like this guy.

I will donate to ANYONE who runs against him!