Posted on 12/15/2005 6:03:42 AM PST by jackbenimble
The House Judiciary Committee chairman yesterday backed off his provision to make illegal aliens felons and instead proposed a misdemeanor charge for unlawful presence, angering some Republicans who wanted the higher penalty. The House is expected to vote today on a border enforcement and employee work verification bill, which calls for more U.S. Border Patrol agents, mandatory database checks of employees' eligibility to work, expanding expedited removal of illegal aliens and allowing sheriffs along the border to help enforce immigration law. Some Republicans already were threatening to try to block the bill if they didn't get a chance to vote on amendments such as ending birthright citizenship and allowing local authorities to aid federal immigration officials. Yesterday's change just fueled their determination. Initially the bill made felons out of the estimated 11 million illegal aliens, thus making them ineligible for legalization. But yesterday the bill's chief sponsor, Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican and Judiciary Committee chairman, said he will amend the bill today to make it a misdemeanor. His spokesman, Jeff Lungren, said the felony requirement actually would have delayed deportation of those now here illegally, while the lesser charge speeds it up. "In order to get a conviction on a felony, you'd need a jury trial," he said. "A misdemeanor doesn't need a jury trial, but you can detain them while putting them through immigration proceedings." He said a misdemeanor still accomplishes their goal, which he said was to target those who overstay their temporary visas. Under current law, overstaying a visa is a civil offense but not a criminal offense, and if caught an alien can delay deportation for years by demanding a trial.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
What they don't say is that I believe a felony prevents them from ever applying for citizenship or the "vaunted" work program.
Don't be fooled by the lie that this is a "tough" immigration bill. Lou Dobbs spent some time discussing this sham that employers of illegals might as well have written themselves. Employers will have from TWO to SIX YEARS to investigate whether the Mexican they hire is here illegally or not. So this amounts to serial amnesty...the illegal will work for one employer six years, then go to another employer for another six years. Any Republican who votes for this pathetic attempt at back-door amnesty and cheap labor for the construction and service industy ought to be voted OUT in '06!
DAMN YOU, POTENTATES ON THE POTOMAC!!!
I did not expect it to survive the Senate/House Conference next spring but I want the House to go into that meeting with as tough a bargaining position as possible because they are almost surely going to come out of it with a shamnesty.
LULAC, MECHA, etc. AT IT AGAIN..."Now the government of Mexico is leading a lobbying effort against the border security measure. Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Louis Derbez says his government is trying with great force to prevent the bill from passing. He is asking business, community and religious groups to make themselves heard. In Los Angeles illegal alien advocates answered his call with inflammatory rhetoric."
(Quote from Lou Dobb's CNN. Casey Wian.
What if it's true that a felony charge takes much longer to deport? Sounds good to me to keep it a misdemeanor IF---and only if---it's followed by serious deportation actions.
ping
Our Congress can always find was to burden the US Citizen with more and more of the burden of the world through Taxes and giving away our wealth, both in money and in blood, but now they show who and what they represent which is NOT the US Constitution and NOT the US Citizens.
The ILLEGAL aliens have no RIGHTS under the US Constitution as they are not US Citizens and therefore are here illegally. They have no right to a trial only immediate deportation out of the country at their HOME Country's expense.
They have no rights to any medical or educational benefits or housing.
Senator Kennedy in his infinite stupidity and willingness to give away our taxes wants to give the illegal aliens $2,500.00 of our taxes to help them get steeled in this country. I suggest we place a $2,500 bounty on every illegal alien that can be found and deported, along with stiff and heavy fines for companies who hire illegal aliens.
Look for the final bill to be a watered-down do-nothing dipsy-doodle-shell-suffle hoodwinking bill.
GW will continue to push for amnesty (or continue to do nothing and let illegals still filter into the country).
Unless the first act is a mandatory wall (tall, metal or concrete, or armed border guards every 100 feet), all we will get is more of the same.
'Now the government of Mexico is leading a lobbying effort against the border security measure. Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Louis Derbez says his government is trying with great force to prevent the bill from passing. He is asking business, community and religious groups to make themselves heard. In Los Angeles illegal alien advocates answered his call with inflammatory rhetoric.'
Quote from Lou Dobbs Cnn Casey Wian...
In most countries illegal crossing of borders will get you shot. Misdemeanor charge is a joke and when will we enforce the existing employment laws.
I did not see that in my reading of the bill. The way I read it, employers have 6 years to check any employee currently on the payroll. New employees have to be checked immediately. This seems sensible. It does not give the illegals any legal status but it avoids a massive disruption to the economy. Any illegal who quits and tries to find a new job will be subject to verification and will have a tough time of it. Because of this they essentially become indentured to their current employers for the next 6 years and subject to whatever abuse the employer wants to inflict. Making them miserable is part of the process of encouraging them to self-deport.
In other words, the law has been neutered so that instead of actually having some teeth, illegals just get the judicial equivalent of a speeding ticket and off they go like nothing ever happened.
I wonder if the border agents they hire will join forces with the ones in the ranks already making extra $$$ for letting the trafficking gangs slip by them on their watch.
It happens.
Yah, but that isn't the issue. Sensenbrener is no fool, and he's no open borders guy. A felony DOES take a whole different judical track than a misdemeanor, and I could see this absolutely tying up courts like nothing we've ever seen if the ACLU and La Raza start fronting lawyers for these leapers.
Those of us paying attention expected the knife in the back.
And in the absence of a felony conviction, they can still vote.
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