Tancredo doubts he can block amnesty-extension bill

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.

A creative typist known as Danevogado tapped his keys thusly:

Fortunately your mindset hasn't infected our fine government.

Here we hear the telling words of a true authoritarian, who can be counted on to take the side of the government, no matter what. Of course, this would be the same "fine government" which confiscates huge portions of our paychecks ever week or two, which treats some of us as second or third class citizens (whilst enshrining others) based solely on skin color, surname, gender, or sexual orientation, and which is determined to reduce the sovereign USA into nothing more than a regional administrative unit of some kind of globalist system, possibly calling itself a world government, possibly not, but in any case unaccountable to anyone but those priveledged enough to control it. Yep, that's our "fine government" according to Danevogado.

Do you know any incidences of Canadian illegals? Or are you making up stories to bolster your argument.

Yes I know of many. Her is just one example.

While working at a border POE (Port of Entry), we apprehended a Canadian woman, who was working and living in Washington State. This is a violation of the Section 212a(7)(A)(i) of the INA (Immigration & Naturalization Act), and we started our paperwork to do an ER (Expedited Removal). Once the paperwork was done, we called the District Office for approval and it was denied because she was Canadian, We where told to read her the riot act and release her.

Now if this is was a Mexican, the ER would have been approved and the alien would be barred from reentry for 5 years.

After almost 5 years, I have yet to see any adverse action taken against a Canadian, and their are many Canadians illegally in the US.

House Again Passes Border and Visa Security Legislation

WASHINGTON, March 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The House today by a 275-137 margin passed legislation providing critical visa and border security safeguards. These protections, already passed by the House without opposition on December 19, 2001, have been held up by Democratic opposition in the Senate.

"This legislation provides vital changes to our immigration laws to fight terrorism and prevent exploitation by some illegal aliens who wish to harm Americans. It builds upon enhanced data sharing requirements in the PATRIOT Act and includes key changes to our immigration laws such as requiring new biometric visas and strengthening the foreign student tracking system," stated House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.). "It's time for the Senate Leadership to act on this legislation. The visa and border security provisions passed almost three months ago and we've seen zero movement by the Senate."

Visa and border security highlights include:

-- Strengthening the foreign student tracking system by requiring that it track: 1) the acceptance of aliens by educational institutions; 2) the issuance of visas to the aliens; 3) the admission into the U.S. of the aliens and the notification of these educational institutions of the admittance of these aliens; and 4) the enrollment of the aliens at the institutions.

-- Requiring the State Department by October 26, 2003 to only issue to aliens visas and other travel documents that are tamper-resistant and machine-readable using standardized biometric identifiers. Aliens entering the U.S. under the visa waiver program will have to possess passports with the same features (if issued after this date). By the same date (October 26, 2003) the INS must install scanners to read the biometric documents at all ports of entry. The INS must implement an integrated entry and exit data system (for nationals of countries other than Canada) containing arrival and departure data from these documents.

-- Requiring U.S. embassies and consulates to utilize terrorist lookout committees in order to ensure that the names of known terrorists are routinely and consistently brought to the attention of consular officials.

-- Barring nationals of countries that are state sponsors of terrorism from receiving temporary visas unless it has been determined that the aliens do not pose a threat to the safety of Americans or the national security of the U.S.

-- Providing an electronic data system that allows current and immediate access for consular officers and INS officials to information in databases of U.S. law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community.

-- Authorizing an additional 200 INS inspectors and 200 INS investigative personnel for each of the fiscal years 2002 through 2006. Also increases the pay and training of INS personnel, including Border Patrol agents, and beefs up consular offices at U.S. embassies. $150 million is authorized for the INS for improving technology at the border.

Today's legislation also included a temporary extension of the 245(i) immigration program. H.R. 1885 will allow qualifying illegal aliens to utilize section 245(i) as long as they have green card petitions filed on their behalf by the earlier of November 30, 2002, or four months after the date the Attorney General issues implementing regulations. It also requires that aliens must have entered the family relationships qualifying them for permanent residence by August 14, 2001. Under H.R. 1885, section 245(i) is a temporary program that will not become a permanent part of U.S. immigration law. A similar extension of the 245(i) program passed the House on May 21, 2001 by a 336-43 margin.

LINK

You're a liar. The posts are still there. Arne didn't debate, didn't "win" and was only mildly answered by a few people. He blew his stack and got his posts pulled. That's what he usually does too, in case you didn't know.

I love the way you tried to spin this as some issue that Bush "stole" from the democrats and that the democrats are tickled that "the far right" is attacking your "popular president". That silly post of yours shows you for what you are, a shill. Trying to call everyone else on this thread shills also shows that you're a liberal. You are as out of touch with reality as any liberal I've ever seen.

Really, you should be praying that we don't lose on this issue. If you're American you stand to lose everything along with the rest of us if Tio Jorge manages to get away with granting amnesty to 65 million illiterate peon criminals. Of course, you're probably afraid to admit being American. It might sound "jingoistic".

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