Posted on 05/11/2006 11:27:54 AM PDT by Sharks
Senate leaders say they have reached a deal to revive a broad immigration bill that could provide millions of illegal immigrants a chance to become American citizens. The agreement doesn't involve provisions of the law, but it does end, for now, a lingering political standoff.
The agreement brokered by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., breaks a political stalemate that has lingered for weeks.
Key to the agreement is who will be negotiating a compromise with the House and its tough enforcement-only bill.
The House passed much more strict immigration legislation in December. It would subject the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States to felony charges as well as deportation.
Republican leader Bill Frist says the Senate will send 14 Republicans and 12 Democrats to the other side of the Capitol to negotiate a compromise. Seven of the Democrats will be hand-picked by Democratic leader Harry Reid.
Frist said a "considerable" number of amendments would be debated when the Senate begins debating the bill early next week.
Reid acknowledged on the Senate floor Thursday morning that he "didn't get everything that I wanted" in the agreement, but said Frist didn't either. Reaching the agreement is "not easy with the political atmosphere," Reid said.
Reid had been taking some criticism for refusing to move forward on the bill after complaining that Republicans were trying to undermine it with amendments and insisting that Democrats be allowed to have a say in who serves on the conference committee.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbs4denver.com ...
BOHICA
"Key to the agreement is who will be negotiating a compromise with the House and its tough enforcement-only bill."
I hope the House doesn't back down.
I yearn for the days of 'Gridlock'.
Agreed. Opening the bill to amendments provides a glimmer of hope.
ping
Hey Frist, what the HELL is wrong with the REPUBLICAN House Bill. Why do you feel the need to inject Kennedy's crap into a good bill? Which side are you on!!!?
Me too, the toughness of the original version is encouraging.
Because our current immigration system is working so well.
Here it comes!
I hope these @ssholes plan on having a lot of Mexicans vote for them, because I doubt if many Americans plan to............
They must be letting the webmaster write the stories these days....
So, does this mean we are just "really, really screwed" instead of "really, really, really screwed"?
Bipartisanship is when the Stupid Party and the Evil Party get together to do something that is both Evil and Stupid. The Senate "not an amnesty plan, we promise" comes to mind.
The House passed much more strict immigration legislation in December. It would subject the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States to felony charges as well as deportation.
Here's the only compromise I want to hear:
Deport the aliens WITHOUT charging them with a felony.
Hard to imagine the system now is worse than another 1986-type amnesty.
Keep your powder dry, folks, this is probably good news.
What it MEANS is that the Republican Senators have looked at the polls, listened to their constituents, and realize that they are going to LOSE CONGRESS if they don't get a Border Fence.
They have a delicate dance to do here, because the President's been talking about amnesty and guest worker. There will probably be SOME of that in the reconciled bill.
But the big thing will be a lot of extended fence, a lot of high tech sensors on the border, vastly expanded border enforcement.
What will probably come out is a bill that essentially CLOSES the border and steps up enforcement, and oh-by-the-way has a generic sort of slow amnesty and discussion of some sort of guest worker program.
Remember: the KEY to the whole thing is getting the border closed. And that's almost certainly to come out of this bill.
If that's there, Border Conservatives will have something important to defend, and will need to vote GOP this fall.
"The GOP has just dropped it's pants and allowed the Rats that MSM to win the day."
Why do you think the GOP is not willing partners in this catastrophe? Frist, McCain, etc. probably got big promises of support for their vanity presidential campaigns. All the senators get big bucks from the Chamber of Commerce, etc., interests looking to quick bucks on a wage depression policy.
Roger that. BOHICA.
Hopefully the House will insist on focusing on protecting our borders. Unfortunately, to compromise, some illegals will eventually become citizens. I hope the process is long and puts them at the back of the line.
Well its progress. I for one want something to what Bush is proposing with tough border controls like in the house bill. More importantly I want the money to back it up and not some legislation that is not funded.
That is a very optimistic assessment given the past performance.
Exactly. I suspect that some sort of guest worker and proposed citzenship proposal will be a part of this. However, if we can get tough border security that is something big.
"Because our current immigration system is working so well."
No because if they give amnesty it can't be undone. Either we do this correctly once, or we lose. This isn't a tax increase that can be undone.
Senate leaders say they have reached a deal to revive a broad immigration bill...please don't let Kennedy get his greasy hands on it.
"However, if we can get tough border security that is something big."
We already should have it. It's called the "law". Bush is dumbing us down with the expectation that we have to bargain with him for security.
Some of those amendment may easily kill the bill.
Let the fireworks begin.
I've got my popcorn ready.
Oh, goody-goody gumdrops. [/sarc]
Whatever Senate bill passes, it will never clear the House. IIRC, Sensenbrenner is part of the Conference committee that reconciles the House and Senate bills on immigration.
I doubt that any bill will become law, but I'll admit that predicting Washington politics is tricky.
I doubt the senate has the courage to do anything worth praising.
I hope you're right, but why aren't they talking about this? They always focus on their shamnesty agenda instead.
They have lost all credibility unless they actually take steps to close off the border to any further illegal immigration. Talk is cheap.
It can get worse, too. No action is better than a bad immigration bill that legalizes the illegal.
The Republican majority is based on Red State Mentality, yet it governs with a Blue State Moronism.
I think you are mistaken. The key to this whole thing is ongoing and thorough employer sanctions. If there is not reason to come, the illegal would be worker would not jump the border.
We have to close the border to drug dealers and terrorists.
Cottage Cheese doesn't come in Milk cartons.. ;o)
Outlawing Illegal Immigration will surely stop the flood of thousands of Document-Challanged "US Voters".
I think you are mistaken, The KEY to the whole thing is ongoing and thorough employer sanctions. If there is no work for the illegal he will not come and the excess of them will go home.
We need to close the border because of drug dealers and terrorists.
Bend Over Here It Comes Again
"I hope you're right, but why aren't they talking about this? They always focus on their shamnesty agenda instead."
Well, they ARE, actually. I saw Frist on O'Reilly last night, talking about this legislation (and looking like a whipped puppy dog). HE was talking about border security: fences, motion detectors, thousands more border patrol agents. O'Reilly, of course, was goading him further, telling him that the National Guard should be down there too. Frist's focus was talking about border control.
Of course, the folks reporting this stuff, and the Democrats, and certain Republicans, are keen on amnesty/guest worker, so that's what is being reported.
The main thing I got from Frist's appearance was that he GETS it, and that the Republican Senators GET it, and that they see, clearly, that the GOP is going down if there is not concrete border control.
So that's what I expect to see on the table.
The "BorderBot" "Stand them up in front of an open grave" strategy is working. That's my assessment anyway. Of course we'll have to see.
The prize is a closed border. That's really the key. If we see that, then we should have enough to bring the Border Conservatives (I've adopted the pejorative term "BorderBots" for them but I use it affectionately) back firmly into the camp, and we'll keep Congress.
I'm sure they are getting pressure but I doubt they view this as some dire emergency they feel they have to fix or they are toast. It's just another issue and they have to sort through it and find a way to strike a deal.
There will be no publicly financed fence. You can forget that. That's because people will demagogue it to death "Mr. Bush - tear down this wall" etc etc So that will never happen. However, privately financed fences will go forward so there will be sections of walls across the border.
They will go after businesses, fund more border enforcement and figure out rules for what to do with the illegals already here. There will be no plan to round them all up and send them back. That will never happen. I expect they will cut some deal for a selective earned amnesty approach.
Say it ain't so, Joe......
Yeah, something like that..
First off, I don't want ANY "immigration reform" passed until our borders are secured..
Not just "legislation" but actual secured borders..
Second, the felony thing..
Give all illegal aliens notice when the fence-building starts..
Something like, " The border will be completely sealed off in one year.. You have that much time to return to Mexico and re-enter the U.S. legally... After the border is sealed, in one year, anyone caught within the borders of the U.S. will be charged with a felony, and will serve one year in federal prison camps doing hard labor for free.. Then, returned to Mexico and forever banned from entering the U.S. for any reason.."
They just don't get it, do they?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.