Immigration Bill - RIP! YES YES YES YES YES!
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070607/D8PJU2F00.html
WASHINGTON (AP) - A fragile compromise that would legalize millions of unlawful immigrants risks coming unraveled after the Senate voted early Thursday to place a five-year limit on a program meant to provide U.S. employers with 200,000 temporary foreign workers annually.
The 49-48 vote came two weeks after the Senate, also by a one-vote margin, rejected the same amendment by Sen. Byron Dorgan. The North Dakota Democrat says immigrants take many jobs Americans could fill.
The reversal dismayed backers of the immigration bill, which is supported by President Bush but loathed by many conservatives. Business interests and their congressional allies were already angry that the temporary worker program had been cut in half from its original 400,000-person-a-year target.
A five-year sunset, they said, could knock the legs from the precarious bipartisan coalition aligned with the White House. The Dorgan amendment "is a tremendous problem, but it's correctable," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. The coalition will try as early as Thursday to persuade at least one senator to help reverse the outcome yet again, he said.
Until the Dorgan vote was tallied, Specter and other leaders of the so-called "grand bargain" on immigration had enjoyed a fairly good day.
They had turned back a bid to reduce the number of illegal immigrants who could gain lawful status. They also defeated an effort to postpone the bill's shift to an emphasis on education and skills among visa applicants as opposed to family connections.
And they fended off an amendment, by Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would have ended a new point system for those seeking permanent resident "green cards" after five years rather than 14 years.
All three amendments were seen as potentially fatal blows to the bill, which would tighten borders, hike penalties for those who hire illegals and give many of the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants a pathway to legal status.
The Senate voted 51-46 to reject a proposal by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to bar criminals - including those ordered by judges to be deported - from gaining legal status. Democrats siphoned support from Cornyn's proposal by winning adoption, 66-32, of a rival version that would bar a more limited set of criminals, including certain gang members and sex offenders, from gaining legalization.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., alone among his party's presidential aspirants in backing the immigration measure, opposed Cornyn's bid and backed the Democratic alternative offered by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.
Senators also rejected a proposal by Robert Menendez, D-N.J., that would have delayed the bill's shift in favor of attracting foreign workers with needed skills as opposed to keeping families together. Menendez won 53 votes, seven short of the 60 needed under a Senate procedural rule invoked by his opponents.
Menendez's proposal would have allowed more than 800,000 people who had applied for permanent legal status by the beginning of 2007 to obtain green cards based purely on their family connections - a preference the bill ends for most relatives who got in line after May 2005.
Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary R. Clinton, D-N.Y., fell short in her bid to remove limits on visas for the spouses and minor children of immigrants with permanent resident status.
While several Cornyn amendments failed, he prevailed on one matter opposed by the grand bargainers. That amendment, adopted 57 to 39, would make it easier to locate and deport illegal immigrants whose visa applications are rejected.
The bill would have barred law enforcement agencies from seeing applications for so-called Z visas, which can lead to citizenship if granted. Cornyn said legal authorities should know if applicants have criminal records that would warrant their deportation.
Opponents said eligible applicants might be afraid to file applications if they believe they are connected to deportation actions. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in an interview that Cornyn's amendment was "not a deal-killer" but would have to be changed in House-Senate negotiations.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A fragile compromise that would legalize millions of unlawful immigrants risks coming unraveled after the Senate voted early Thursday to place a five-year limit on a program meant to provide U.S. employers with 200,000 temporary foreign workers annually.
The 49-48 vote came two weeks after the Senate, also by a one-vote margin, rejected the same amendment by Sen. Byron Dorgan. The North Dakota Democrat says immigrants take many jobs Americans could fill.
The reversal dismayed backers of the immigration bill, which is supported by President Bush but loathed by many conservatives. Business interests and their congressional allies were already angry that the temporary worker program had been cut in half from its original 400,000-person-a-year target.
A five-year sunset, they said, could knock the legs from the precarious bipartisan coalition aligned with the White House. The Dorgan amendment "is a tremendous problem, but it's correctable," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. The coalition will try as early as Thursday to persuade at least one senator to help reverse the outcome yet again, he said.
Until the Dorgan vote was tallied, Specter and other leaders of the so-called "grand bargain" on immigration had enjoyed a fairly good day.
They had turned back a bid to reduce the number of illegal immigrants who could gain lawful status. They also defeated an effort to postpone the bill's shift to an emphasis on education and skills among visa applicants as opposed to family connections.
And they fended off an amendment, by Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would have ended a new point system for those seeking permanent resident "green cards" after five years rather than 14 years.
All three amendments were seen as potentially fatal blows to the bill, which would tighten borders, hike penalties for those who hire illegals and give many of the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants a pathway to legal status.
The Senate voted 51-46 to reject a proposal by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to bar criminals - including those ordered by judges to be deported - from gaining legal status. Democrats siphoned support from Cornyn's proposal by winning adoption, 66-32, of a rival version that would bar a more limited set of criminals, including certain gang members and sex offenders, from gaining legalization.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., alone among his party's presidential aspirants in backing the immigration measure, opposed Cornyn's bid and backed the Democratic alternative offered by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.
Senators also rejected a proposal by Robert Menendez, D-N.J., that would have delayed the bill's shift in favor of attracting foreign workers with needed skills as opposed to keeping families together. Menendez won 53 votes, seven short of the 60 needed under a Senate procedural rule invoked by his opponents.
Menendez's proposal would have allowed more than 800,000 people who had applied for permanent legal status by the beginning of 2007 to obtain green cards based purely on their family connections - a preference the bill ends for most relatives who got in line after May 2005.
Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary R. Clinton, D-N.Y., fell short in her bid to remove limits on visas for the spouses and minor children of immigrants with permanent resident status.
While several Cornyn amendments failed, he prevailed on one matter opposed by the grand bargainers. That amendment, adopted 57 to 39, would make it easier to locate and deport illegal immigrants whose visa applications are rejected.
The bill would have barred law enforcement agencies from seeing applications for so-called Z visas, which can lead to citizenship if granted. Cornyn said legal authorities should know if applicants have criminal records that would warrant their deportation.
Opponents said eligible applicants might be afraid to file applications if they believe they are connected to deportation actions. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in an interview that Cornyn's amendment was "not a deal-killer" but would have to be changed in House-Senate negotiations.
0
-
thank god 0 -
quote:Originally posted by spanielsells
quote:Originally posted by Rocklobster
But wait...aren't Republicans all a bunch of wealthy businessmen that want cheap labor?
Most businesses want cheap labor. Labor is an expensive component to the cost of goods and services.
But, most Republicans are not wealthy businessmen.
Oh, yeah... Heh. I guess what threw me off was the multi-millionaire on TV the other night talking about taxing the wealthy to finance healthcare for all.0 -
Note....I am not a member of Farm Bureau....used to be, but not now.
C&P
OMAHA (DTN) -- Citing the urgent need to ensure an adequate labor force for American agriculture, the American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors Thursday voted to strongly support the Senate's bipartisan compromise immigration reform proposal.
Comprehensive immigration reform, including a viable guest worker program, is one of Farm Bureau's priority issues for this Congress. The issue holds serious economic implications for U.S. agriculture. AFBF economists estimate that up to $9 billion a year in agricultural production is at risk if Congress fails to enact provisions that would provide agriculture with an adequate, legal workforce.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Dak To 68
quote:Originally posted by Justa-Troll
How are you Americans going to get from here to there when all of the cabbies have to leave the country? How are you going to get your Slurpees and cigarettes when all of the convenience store managers have to leave the country? You see, we are a bigger force than you can imagine. Plus, we need to infiltrate your country so that we can engage in the deeds that Allah commands for us.
We'll do it the same way it was done before all these browns from Third World genetic cesspools showed up here. We'll do it ourselves. If the goat eaters think they're getting their a$$es killed by us back home, wait 'til they see what happens here if they give us any grief. From what I see of these smacks we wouldn't need guns, American bare hands and knucks would handle them easy.[:D]
But our third world genetic cesspool has nukular nucleeyur atomic energy that we can use to convert into swords for Allah. Soon you too will pray toward Mecca otherwise we will smite you. And make you have special time with our camels.0 -
Thank you. As a prelude to prayer, I always urinate towards Mecca five times daily. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Rocklobster
Thank you. As a prelude to prayer, I always urinate towards Mecca five times daily.
Allah sees that.0 -
Anytime Dubya agrees with Ted Kennedy its a bad sign for us all. In other words D.C. is trying to pull the wool over your eyes.Most republicans and Dems in the senate, and the house of reps, are far from being poor. Wealthy businessmen in both partys have thier own agenda.Wealthy businessmen give us the people we can vote for, so the next time you vote for the least of two evils thank your local wealthy businessmen .The mafia or unions were never this crooked. 0 -
We can thank the Minutemen for getting the ball rolling on this issue. What a great bunch of Americans. I'd also like to thank each of you that have opposed this amnesty plan and helped American citizens stuff it to the opposition too. Thank you all! 0 -
Next up is: we should be all asking "Where's the fence?" BUILD THE FENCE(s)!!! STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION NOW.
Write your Congressman! Fax! E-Mail! Go to his/her office!
Join the Minutemen! Talk it up with your neighbors.
Write to your local paper even if it is a Liberal Rag not fit for wrapping offal.
Strike While the Iron is Hot!! The Dems have revealed their hand already - they will sit on their hands now if any attempt is made to secure the borders. They wanted this bill to pass sooo bad they could taste it - they thought the influx of new voters would spell the end of the Republicans forever. We just escaped certain fourty years of Democrat rule.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
39 comments