Posted on 06/27/2007 3:00:09 PM PDT by mdittmar
The Senate's revived legislation to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants faces a critical test Thursday after surviving potentially fatal challenges.
Attempts from the right and left to alter key elements of the delicate bipartisan compromise failed Wednesday, including a Republican proposal to deny illegal immigrants a path to citizenship and Democratic bids to reunite legal immigrants with family members.
The Senate killed, by a 56-41 vote, an amendment by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., to provide more green cards for parents of U.S. citizens. By a 55-40 margin, it tabled a proposal by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., to give family members of citizens and legal permanent residents more credit toward green cards in a new merit- based points system.
A make-or-break procedural vote was set for Thursday, however, as the Senate plowed through amendments that supporters hoped would address waverers' concerns.
Facing determined opposition from conservatives who call the bill amnesty, leaders need 60 votes to keep the measure alive and complete it as early as Friday.
The Senate on Wednesday killed several proposals designed to answer conservatives' concerns that the bill, championed by President Bush, is overly lenient toward illegal immigrants. Among the amendments was one by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, to require all adult illegal immigrants to return home temporarily to qualify for permanent lawful status. The current bill requires only heads of household seeking permanent legal residency to return home to apply for green cards.
"I don't see how I could support this bill in any form," Hutchison said after the vote. She had characterized her proposal as a way of removing "the amnesty tag" from the legislation.
An amendment by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., also defeated, would have restricted legal status applications to those who have been in the United States for four years. The bill would allow anyone in the U.S. as of Jan. 1, 2007, to be eligible.
A bid by Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., to deny green cards to unlawful immigrants also failed.
The bill, which also would toughen border security and institute a new system for weeding out illegal immigrants from workplaces, is facing more challenges.
Particularly worrisome to backers of the bill is an amendment by Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Max Baucus, D- Mont., to overhaul the employee verification system.
Grasping for more GOP support, Republican framers of the bill were proposing their own, less burdensome return-home requirement for illegal immigrants. It would apply only to heads of household and would give them three years.
Votes on key amendments were continuing Wednesday under a complex and carefully orchestrated procedure designed to overcome stalling tactics by conservative foes. It allowed votes only on a limited list of amendments before Thursday's critical test vote.
Tensions ran high on the usually courtly Senate floor, where Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was keeping a tight rein on the debate to prevent critics from derailing the bill.
Conservatives, irate at a process that has essentially stymied their ability to filibuster, said Senate leaders were trying to rush through a bad bill.
"The American people have said loud and clear that this is an incredibly important issue to them. For the Senate to move ahead anyway using this process, railroading me and other critics of the bill and blocking our rights as senators to represent our constituents, is disgraceful," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
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The bill is S 1639
Good contact list.
BTTT.
/That is as likely as anything I can think of.
None of this makes sense. You don’t sell your country for money or for anything. You sell a business, sell your wife, sell your car, give your life for another country in war but you don’t sell your country.
Amazing how Bush and the GOP Senate are willing to fight tooth and nail for Amnesty, but not for getting judges confirmed. The number of appeals court judges confirmed in Bush’s 2nd term is apalling.
Also therefore, true conservative voters are to be ignored and true conservative officials are to be marginalized with the quick passage of this bill.
This removes a key plank in Fred Thompson’s platform thereby mooting the issue of immigration by making it established law before election time.
All of these tie neatly and simply up into one paragraph when you establish that the aims of these two formerly disparate groups are truly one and the same.
According to the above article, Menendez’ amendment was NOT passsed.
I think he will not vote for cloture.
Lord, I hope so....
MOgirl
I think the Menendez amendment failed.
Bonds and Hutchison were fence sitters on this issue but now it’s a guarantee they will vote to kill this bill and hopefully once it’s dead this time it will stay dead.
I love my country but now I hate my government. I will NEVER vote for these people again.
This bill is going to pass. Get used to it. It’s nothing more than political theatre choreographed to the picking up on the final pen stroke. Maybe that was President Bush’s plan the entire time. Amnesty is passed. Pissed-off RKBA and other patriots riot in the streets and CWII begins as REAL Americans recognize their coveted U.S. citizenship is nothing more than another tissue to use for post-bowel movement rectal hygiene.
No other kick backs to the rest of the list. :)
Piss-off,Oh sorry,I meant I can see you are Pissed-off.
Just say NO to Illegal Alien Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!
U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121
U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121
White House comments: (202) 456-1111
Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep
Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Toll free to the US Senate:
1-800-882-2005. (Spanish number)
1-800-417-7666. (English number)
Courtesy of a pro-amnesty group, no less!!
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